CVE-2023-22047 in PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools
Summary
by MITRE • 07/19/2023
Vulnerability in the PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools product of Oracle PeopleSoft (component: Portal). Supported versions that are affected are 8.59 and 8.60. Easily exploitable vulnerability allows unauthenticated attacker with network access via HTTP to compromise PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized access to critical data or complete access to all PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools accessible data. CVSS 3.1 Base Score 7.5 (Confidentiality impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/14/2023
The CVE-2023-22047 vulnerability represents a critical security flaw in Oracle PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools specifically within the Portal component. This vulnerability affects versions 8.59 and 8.60 of the software, making them susceptible to exploitation by unauthenticated attackers who can access the system through standard HTTP network connections. The vulnerability's classification as easily exploitable indicates that attackers require minimal technical expertise or resources to leverage this weakness effectively.
This security weakness fundamentally stems from inadequate authentication mechanisms within the PeopleTools Portal component, allowing unauthorized access to sensitive data without requiring valid credentials. The CVSS 3.1 scoring system assigns this vulnerability a base score of 7.5, which falls into the high severity category, with particular emphasis on confidentiality impacts. The attack vector is classified as network-based (AV:N) requiring no local privileges or user interaction, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited from any location with network access to the vulnerable system.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and potentially devastating for organizations using affected PeopleSoft versions. Successful exploitation can lead to unauthorized access to critical business data, including financial records, employee information, and other sensitive corporate assets. The vulnerability's potential for complete data access means that attackers could potentially exfiltrate or manipulate all information accessible through the PeopleTools Portal, creating significant business disruption and compliance violations. Organizations may face regulatory penalties and reputational damage from such data breaches.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-287, which addresses improper authentication issues, and represents a clear violation of the principle of least privilege in security architecture. From an adversarial perspective, this weakness maps to several ATT&CK tactics including Initial Access through Network Service Scanning and Credential Access through Valid Accounts. The lack of authentication requirements for accessing critical data components directly violates fundamental security controls that should prevent unauthorized data access. Organizations should immediately implement network segmentation to limit access to PeopleTools Portal components, apply the vendor's security patches as soon as they become available, and conduct comprehensive network monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts.
The remediation approach should include immediate patch management procedures to address the authentication flaw in the Portal component, along with enhanced network security controls such as firewalls and access control lists to restrict HTTP access to only authorized personnel. Security teams should also implement continuous monitoring solutions to detect anomalous access patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. Organizations should conduct thorough vulnerability assessments to identify any additional components that might share similar authentication weaknesses, as this vulnerability could potentially be part of a broader authentication failure pattern within the PeopleSoft ecosystem. The incident response plan should include specific procedures for handling potential data exfiltration events and coordination with relevant regulatory bodies if data compromise is confirmed.