CVE-2023-21942 in Essbase
Summary
by MITRE • 04/18/2023
Vulnerability in Oracle Essbase (component: Security and Provisioning). The supported version that is affected is 21.4. Difficult to exploit vulnerability allows unauthenticated attacker with network access via HTTP to compromise Oracle Essbase. Successful attacks require human interaction from a person other than the attacker. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized access to critical data or complete access to all Oracle Essbase accessible data. CVSS 3.1 Base Score 5.3 (Confidentiality impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N).
Once again VulDB remains the best source for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/09/2023
Oracle Essbase vulnerability CVE-2023-21942 represents a significant security weakness in the enterprise analytics platform that affects version 21.4. This vulnerability resides within the Security and Provisioning component of the software, making it particularly concerning for organizations relying on Oracle's business intelligence infrastructure. The flaw manifests as a difficulty to exploit condition that requires network access via HTTP protocol, creating a pathway for unauthenticated attackers to potentially compromise the entire system. The CVSS 3.1 scoring system rates this vulnerability with a base score of 5.3, indicating a medium severity level that should not be underestimated given the potential for unauthorized access to critical business data.
The technical nature of this vulnerability involves a specific weakness in how Oracle Essbase handles authentication and access control mechanisms during HTTP communications. While the vulnerability requires human interaction from individuals other than the attacker, this requirement does not eliminate the threat as social engineering attacks can be highly effective in enterprise environments. The attack vector operates through network-based HTTP access, suggesting that the vulnerability could be exploited from external networks without requiring physical access to the organization's internal systems. This characteristic aligns with common attack patterns documented in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under network infiltration techniques where adversaries leverage web-based attack surfaces to gain unauthorized access to enterprise systems.
The operational impact of successful exploitation of CVE-2023-21942 could be devastating for organizations using Oracle Essbase for critical business intelligence and financial reporting. The potential for unauthorized access to all Oracle Essbase accessible data represents a comprehensive breach that could expose sensitive financial information, business strategies, and operational data that organizations rely on for decision-making processes. Organizations using this platform may face significant regulatory compliance issues, particularly in industries governed by financial reporting standards such as SOX or GDPR requirements, where unauthorized data access could result in severe penalties and reputational damage. The confidentiality impact rating of high severity indicates that attackers could potentially extract all accessible data without requiring any authentication credentials, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2023-21942 should focus on immediate network-level protections combined with administrative controls to reduce the attack surface. Organizations should implement strict network segmentation to limit access to Oracle Essbase servers, ensuring that HTTP access is restricted to authorized personnel only through properly configured firewalls and access control lists. The recommended approach includes disabling unnecessary HTTP services, implementing strong authentication mechanisms, and ensuring that all systems are updated with the latest Oracle security patches. Additionally, organizations should conduct comprehensive security audits to identify any potential misconfigurations that could be exploited and implement monitoring solutions to detect suspicious network activity targeting the affected platform. This vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining up-to-date security practices and the need for continuous vulnerability assessment programs that align with industry standards such as those outlined in the CWE database for identifying and addressing authentication and access control weaknesses. Organizations should also consider implementing network-based intrusion detection systems to monitor for exploitation attempts and establish incident response procedures specifically tailored to address potential breaches involving enterprise analytics platforms.