CVE-2024-20940 in Knowledge Management
Summary
by MITRE • 01/17/2024
Vulnerability in the Oracle Knowledge Management product of Oracle E-Business Suite (component: Create, Update, Authoring Flow). Supported versions that are affected are 12.2.3-12.2.13. Easily exploitable vulnerability allows unauthenticated attacker with network access via HTTP to compromise Oracle Knowledge Management. Successful attacks require human interaction from a person other than the attacker and while the vulnerability is in Oracle Knowledge Management, 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 Knowledge Management accessible data as well as unauthorized read access to a subset of Oracle Knowledge Management accessible data. CVSS 3.1 Base Score 6.1 (Confidentiality and Integrity impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/20/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-20940 resides within Oracle Knowledge Management, a component of the Oracle E-Business Suite ecosystem. This flaw specifically affects versions 12.2.3 through 12.2.13, representing a significant attack surface within enterprise environments that rely on Oracle's comprehensive business suite. The vulnerability operates within the Create, Update, and Authoring Flow components, which are critical for content management and knowledge base maintenance within Oracle E-Business Suite deployments. Organizations utilizing these specific versions face potential exposure to malicious actors who can exploit this weakness without requiring authentication credentials, making it particularly concerning for enterprise security postures.
The technical nature of this vulnerability manifests as an easily exploitable flaw that enables unauthenticated attackers to compromise Oracle Knowledge Management through HTTP network access. This represents a critical weakness in the application's security architecture, as it eliminates the need for prior authentication while maintaining the accessibility through standard web protocols. The CVSS 3.1 scoring system assigns this vulnerability a base score of 6.1, indicating a medium severity threat that specifically impacts both confidentiality and integrity aspects of the affected system. The vector notation CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N reveals that network-based attacks are possible with low access complexity, no privilege requirements, and user interaction requirements that make exploitation more feasible in real-world scenarios. The scope change component indicates that while the vulnerability originates in Oracle Knowledge Management, its impact can extend to other connected products within the Oracle E-Business Suite environment.
The operational impact of CVE-2024-20940 extends beyond the immediate compromise of Oracle Knowledge Management data. Attackers can achieve unauthorized update, insert, or delete operations against sensitive knowledge management data, potentially corrupting or manipulating critical information assets. Additionally, the vulnerability enables unauthorized read access to subsets of accessible data, creating potential exposure for confidential information that may include business processes, technical documentation, or proprietary knowledge. This dual impact on both data integrity and confidentiality creates substantial risk for organizations that depend on accurate and secure knowledge management systems. The requirement for human interaction from individuals other than the attacker suggests that social engineering or targeted phishing campaigns may be necessary to initiate exploitation, though the underlying vulnerability remains easily accessible once triggered.
From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 (Improper Access Control) and represents a classic case of insufficient authorization mechanisms within Oracle's Knowledge Management implementation. The vulnerability's classification under the ATT&CK framework would likely map to T1190 (Exploit Public-Facing Application) and potentially T1071.004 (Application Layer Protocol: DNS) if exploitation involves DNS-based attacks. Organizations should prioritize immediate remediation through Oracle's security patches and updates, while implementing network segmentation to limit access to vulnerable systems. Additional mitigations include enhanced monitoring for suspicious HTTP traffic, implementation of web application firewalls, and review of access controls for Oracle Knowledge Management components. The vulnerability's scope change characteristic necessitates comprehensive assessment of the entire Oracle E-Business Suite environment to identify potential cascading impacts on other interconnected applications and data systems.