CVE-2023-21861 in Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition
Summary
by MITRE • 01/18/2023
Vulnerability in the Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition product of Oracle Fusion Middleware (component: Visual Analyzer). Supported versions that are affected are 5.9.0.0.0 and 6.4.0.0.0. Easily exploitable vulnerability allows low privileged attacker with network access via HTTP to compromise Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition. Successful attacks require human interaction from a person other than the attacker and while the vulnerability is in Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition, attacks may significantly impact additional products (scope change). Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized update, insert or delete access to some of Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition accessible data as well as unauthorized read access to a subset of Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition accessible data. CVSS 3.1 Base Score 5.4 (Confidentiality and Integrity impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/13/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-21861 represents a critical security flaw within Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition, specifically affecting the Visual Analyzer component within Oracle Fusion Middleware. This vulnerability impacts version 5.9.0.0.0 and 6.4.0.0.0 of the affected product, creating a significant risk for organizations utilizing these systems. The flaw operates as an easily exploitable vulnerability that requires minimal technical sophistication from threat actors, making it particularly dangerous in environments where security controls may be insufficient.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient access controls within the Visual Analyzer component, allowing a low-privileged attacker with network access via HTTP to compromise the system. The CVSS 3.1 scoring of 5.4 indicates a medium severity level, yet the potential impact remains substantial given that successful exploitation can lead to unauthorized modification and deletion of data within the Oracle Business Intelligence environment. The vulnerability requires human interaction from individuals other than the attacker, suggesting that social engineering or user manipulation may be necessary components of the attack vector, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1566 for social engineering.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond the immediate scope of Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition, creating what is termed a "scope change" that can significantly affect additional products within the organization's infrastructure. This characteristic demonstrates how a single vulnerability can cascade through interconnected systems, potentially compromising broader enterprise data environments. Attackers can achieve unauthorized read access to subsets of accessible data while also gaining unauthorized update, insert, or delete capabilities, creating a dual threat to both data integrity and confidentiality as classified under CWE-284 for improper access control.
Organizations facing this vulnerability must implement immediate mitigation strategies focusing on network segmentation and access control enforcement. The requirement for human interaction suggests that user awareness training becomes critical in preventing exploitation, while network-level controls should restrict unnecessary HTTP access to the affected systems. The CVSS vector indicates that the attack requires low complexity and low privileges, yet the potential for scope change means that organizations must consider broader system implications beyond the immediate Oracle BI environment. Implementing proper patch management protocols and monitoring for unusual access patterns will be essential components of the defensive strategy, with particular attention to the Visual Analyzer component's HTTP interfaces and user authentication mechanisms.