CVE-2023-21922 in Health Sciences InForm
Summary
by MITRE • 04/18/2023
Vulnerability in the Oracle Health Sciences InForm product of Oracle Health Sciences Applications (component: Core). Supported versions that are affected are Prior to 6.3.1.3 and Prior to 7.0.0.1. Difficult to exploit vulnerability allows unauthenticated attacker with network access via HTTP to compromise Oracle Health Sciences InForm. Successful attacks require human interaction from a person other than the attacker. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized creation, deletion or modification access to critical data or all Oracle Health Sciences InForm accessible data as well as unauthorized access to critical data or complete access to all Oracle Health Sciences InForm accessible data. CVSS 3.1 Base Score 6.8 (Confidentiality and Integrity impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/11/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-21922 affects Oracle Health Sciences InForm, a critical component within Oracle Health Sciences Applications designed for clinical data management and electronic data capture in healthcare environments. This product serves as a cornerstone for clinical research operations, handling sensitive patient data and regulatory compliance requirements that make it a prime target for malicious actors. The vulnerability exists in the Core component of the application and impacts versions prior to 6.3.1.3 and 7.0.0.1, representing a significant security gap that could compromise the integrity and confidentiality of clinical trial data. The affected system operates within healthcare and pharmaceutical industries where data protection is paramount, making this vulnerability particularly concerning given the sensitive nature of the information processed.
The technical flaw manifests as a difficulty to exploit vulnerability that allows unauthenticated attackers to compromise the system through HTTP network access. This represents a critical weakness in the authentication and authorization mechanisms of the application, as it permits unauthorized access without requiring valid credentials or privileged access. The vulnerability requires human interaction from individuals other than the attacker, indicating that social engineering or user manipulation may be necessary to achieve successful exploitation. This characteristic aligns with CWE-305 authentication weakness patterns, where the system's security controls are bypassed through indirect means. The attack vector through HTTP access points suggests that the application may be improperly configured to handle authentication requests or lacks proper access control enforcement at the network level.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple data exposure, as successful exploitation can result in unauthorized creation, deletion, or modification of critical clinical data. This represents a severe compromise of data integrity that could fundamentally alter clinical trial outcomes and undermine the validity of research findings. The potential for complete access to all Oracle Health Sciences InForm accessible data means that attackers could access sensitive patient information, study protocols, and regulatory documentation that would be subject to strict compliance requirements under healthcare privacy regulations such as HIPAA and GDPR. The CVSS 3.1 base score of 6.8 indicates a medium to high severity vulnerability that could cause significant damage to the organization's reputation, regulatory standing, and operational capabilities. The confidentiality and integrity impacts are rated as high, reflecting the critical nature of the data involved and the potential for malicious modification of clinical research results.
Organizations utilizing Oracle Health Sciences InForm must implement immediate mitigations to address this vulnerability, including applying the vendor-provided patches and updates to versions 6.3.1.3 and 7.0.0.1. Network segmentation and access controls should be enhanced to restrict HTTP access to authorized personnel only, while implementing additional monitoring and logging mechanisms to detect unauthorized access attempts. The requirement for human interaction suggests that security awareness training for personnel who may interact with the system should be strengthened to prevent social engineering attacks. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls and additional authentication layers to provide defense-in-depth protection. The vulnerability's classification under ATT&CK framework would likely fall under privilege escalation or initial access techniques, specifically targeting the application's authentication mechanisms. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be implemented to identify similar weaknesses in other healthcare applications and systems, as this vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date security controls in healthcare environments where patient safety and data integrity are paramount considerations.