CVE-2022-41206 in BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform
Summary
by MITRE • 10/12/2022
SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence platform (Analysis for OLAP) - versions 420, 430, allows an authenticated attacker to send user-controlled inputs when OLAP connections are created and edited in the Central Management Console. On successful exploitation, there could be a limited impact on confidentiality and integrity of the application.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/20/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-41206 affects the SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence platform, specifically within the Analysis for OLAP component across versions 420 and 430. This security flaw resides in the Central Management Console where OLAP connections are configured and managed. The issue represents a classic input validation weakness that enables authenticated attackers to inject malicious data during the connection creation and editing processes. Such vulnerabilities typically fall under CWE-20 Input Validation and CWE-79 Cross-Site Scripting categories, though the specific impact here manifests as limited confidentiality and integrity compromise rather than direct execution or persistence mechanisms.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when an authenticated user with sufficient privileges attempts to establish or modify OLAP connections through the Central Management Console interface. The system fails to properly sanitize or validate user inputs provided during these operations, creating potential pathways for malicious data injection. Attackers could leverage this weakness to manipulate connection parameters, potentially gaining access to unauthorized data sources or altering connection configurations in ways that could impact data integrity. This vulnerability operates within the context of SAP's security model where administrative functions require authentication but do not adequately protect against malicious input manipulation during configuration processes.
From an operational impact perspective, the limited nature of the confidentiality and integrity compromise suggests that while attackers can influence connection configurations, they cannot directly execute arbitrary code or gain complete system access. However, the implications extend beyond simple data manipulation as compromised OLAP connections could potentially expose sensitive business intelligence data or allow attackers to redirect connections to malicious endpoints. The attack vector requires authentication, which means that the vulnerability primarily affects privileged users who have access to the Central Management Console, making it a concern for insider threats or compromised accounts within organizations. This aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078 Valid Accounts and T1566 Phishing as the initial compromise often involves gaining legitimate user credentials.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including restricting access to the Central Management Console to only essential administrative personnel, implementing strict input validation controls, and monitoring connection configuration changes for unusual patterns. The recommended approach involves enforcing principle of least privilege access controls, enabling detailed audit logging of all connection modifications, and applying SAP security patches as they become available. Additionally, network segmentation and monitoring of connection attempts can help detect anomalous behavior that might indicate exploitation attempts. Security teams should also consider implementing regular security assessments focused on administrative interfaces and validate that all user inputs are properly sanitized before processing. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of input validation in administrative interfaces and highlights how seemingly limited flaws in configuration management can create significant security risks when combined with authenticated access privileges.