CVE-2022-21518 in Health Sciences Data Management Workbench
Summary
by MITRE • 07/20/2022
Vulnerability in the Oracle Health Sciences Data Management Workbench product of Oracle Health Sciences Applications (component: User Interface). Supported versions that are affected are 2.4.8.7 and 2.5.2.1. Easily exploitable vulnerability allows low privileged attacker with network access via HTTP to compromise Oracle Health Sciences Data Management Workbench. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized access to critical data or complete access to all Oracle Health Sciences Data Management Workbench accessible data. CVSS 3.1 Base Score 6.5 (Confidentiality impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/13/2022
The CVE-2022-21518 vulnerability represents a significant security weakness within Oracle Health Sciences Data Management Workbench, specifically affecting versions 2.4.8.7 and 2.5.2.1. This vulnerability resides in the User Interface component of the health sciences applications suite, which is designed for managing clinical data in pharmaceutical and healthcare environments. The affected system processes sensitive patient information and clinical trial data, making it a prime target for malicious actors seeking unauthorized access to critical healthcare information. The vulnerability's classification as easily exploitable indicates that attackers can leverage relatively simple techniques to compromise the system, particularly when they can establish network connectivity through HTTP protocols.
The technical flaw stems from insufficient access controls and authentication mechanisms within the user interface layer of the Oracle Health Sciences Data Management Workbench. Attackers with low privilege levels can exploit this weakness to gain unauthorized access to the system's data resources. The CVSS 3.1 scoring system rates this vulnerability at 6.5, indicating a medium to high severity threat with a base score that reflects the potential for significant confidentiality impacts. The attack vector requires network access via HTTP, suggesting that the vulnerability can be exploited from external networks without requiring physical access to the system. The low privilege requirement means that even users with minimal system access rights can potentially exploit this flaw, amplifying the risk to organizations that may have less stringent access controls.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft, as it could potentially lead to complete compromise of all accessible data within the Oracle Health Sciences Data Management Workbench. This encompasses sensitive clinical trial data, patient records, and other confidential health information that organizations must protect under various regulatory frameworks including HIPAA and GDPR. The confidentiality impact rating of high severity indicates that successful exploitation could result in unauthorized disclosure of critical information that might affect patient care, research integrity, and business operations. Organizations using this software may face significant compliance violations, regulatory penalties, and reputational damage if such vulnerabilities are exploited, particularly in environments where data protection is paramount.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the vendor-provided patches and updates released for this vulnerability, strengthening network access controls to limit HTTP access to authorized personnel only, and implementing additional monitoring for suspicious network activities. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284, which addresses improper access control issues, and represents a clear violation of the principle of least privilege. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving initial access through network services and privilege escalation, potentially enabling adversaries to move laterally within the healthcare network. Security teams should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify systems running affected versions and implement network segmentation to limit potential attack surfaces. Regular security audits and access control reviews are essential to prevent exploitation of similar weaknesses in healthcare information systems. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches in regulated environments where patient safety and data integrity are critical considerations.