CVE-2023-21891 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-2023-21891 represents a significant security weakness within Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition, specifically affecting the Visual Analyzer component of Oracle Fusion Middleware. This flaw exists in versions 5.9.0.0.0 and 6.4.0.0.0, making them susceptible to exploitation by malicious actors. The vulnerability's classification as easily exploitable indicates that attackers can leverage relatively straightforward techniques to compromise affected systems. Security researchers have determined that the attack vector requires network access via HTTP, meaning that potential threats can originate from external sources without requiring physical access to the target environment.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient access controls and authentication mechanisms within the Visual Analyzer component. Attackers with low privileges can potentially exploit this weakness to gain unauthorized access to sensitive data within the Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition environment. The CVSS score of 5.4 reflects the moderate severity of the threat, with impacts categorized as confidentiality and integrity concerns. The vulnerability's vector indicates that while attackers need to be authenticated with low privileges, they can operate from a network location with minimal technical expertise required. The requirement for human interaction suggests that social engineering or user-based attacks may be necessary to successfully compromise the system, though the actual exploitation mechanism remains accessible to attackers.
The operational impact of CVE-2023-21891 extends beyond the immediate Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition environment, as the vulnerability can potentially affect additional products within the broader Oracle Fusion Middleware ecosystem. This scope change represents a significant concern for organizations that utilize multiple Oracle products, as a compromise in one component could potentially lead to broader system infiltration. The vulnerability enables unauthorized update, insert, or delete operations against specific data sets within the Oracle Business Intelligence environment, while also permitting unauthorized read access to subsets of accessible data. This dual capability means that attackers could not only view sensitive information but also modify or corrupt data, potentially leading to data integrity issues and business disruption.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should implement immediate mitigation strategies to protect their systems. The primary recommendation involves applying the relevant Oracle security patches and updates as soon as they become available, which would address the underlying authentication and access control weaknesses. Network segmentation and firewall rules should be reviewed to limit unnecessary HTTP access to the affected Oracle components, while access controls should be strengthened to ensure that users only have the minimum privileges necessary for their roles. The vulnerability's classification under CWE-284 (Improper Access Control) and its alignment with ATT&CK technique T1078 (Valid Accounts) highlights the importance of implementing robust identity and access management practices. Additionally, security monitoring should be enhanced to detect anomalous access patterns that could indicate exploitation attempts, while regular vulnerability assessments should be conducted to identify similar weaknesses in other Oracle products within the organization's infrastructure.