CVE-2024-20980 in BI Publisher
Summary
by MITRE • 02/17/2024
Vulnerability in the Oracle BI Publisher product of Oracle Analytics (component: Web Server). Supported versions that are affected are 6.4.0.0.0 and 7.0.0.0.0. Easily exploitable vulnerability allows low privileged attacker with network access via HTTP to compromise Oracle BI Publisher. Successful attacks require human interaction from a person other than the attacker and while the vulnerability is in Oracle BI Publisher, 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 BI Publisher accessible data as well as unauthorized read access to a subset of Oracle BI Publisher 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 • 04/20/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-20980 resides within Oracle BI Publisher, a component of Oracle Analytics that operates within the Web Server environment. This security flaw affects specifically version 6.4.0.0.0 and 7.0.0.0.0 of the Oracle BI Publisher product, representing a significant concern for organizations utilizing these platforms. The vulnerability classification as easily exploitable indicates that attackers can leverage this weakness with minimal technical sophistication, particularly targeting low privileged users who possess network access through HTTP protocols. The attack vector requires network connectivity and can be initiated by individuals who are not directly involved in the system administration, making this threat particularly concerning for enterprise environments where network accessibility is common.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient access controls and authentication mechanisms within the Oracle BI Publisher web server component. The flaw allows unauthorized users to potentially modify or manipulate data within the system, creating opportunities for both data integrity compromise and confidentiality breaches. According to the CVSS 3.1 scoring system, this vulnerability carries a base score of 5.4, indicating a moderate severity level that reflects the potential for unauthorized update, insert, or delete operations against accessible data. The impact assessment reveals that attackers could gain unauthorized read access to specific subsets of data within the Oracle BI Publisher environment, though the scope of potential data exposure may extend beyond the immediate system boundaries. The CVSS vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N) demonstrates that network-based attacks are possible with low complexity, requiring only low privileges, but necessitating user interaction from someone other than the attacker, suggesting a social engineering component to successful exploitation.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond the immediate Oracle BI Publisher system, as indicated by the scope change aspect of the attack. This means that successful exploitation could potentially affect other connected or dependent products within the Oracle Analytics ecosystem, creating cascading security implications. Organizations may face unauthorized modifications to business intelligence reports, data manipulation that could affect decision-making processes, and potential exposure of sensitive business information. The requirement for human interaction suggests that phishing or social engineering attacks may be employed to trick legitimate users into performing actions that facilitate the exploitation. This vulnerability represents a significant risk to data integrity and confidentiality, particularly in enterprise environments where Oracle BI Publisher is used for critical business intelligence reporting and data analysis. The attack scenario typically involves an attacker leveraging the web server component to gain access to the system, potentially using legitimate user credentials or by exploiting the vulnerability through web-based interfaces.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2024-20980 should prioritize immediate patching of affected Oracle BI Publisher versions, as Oracle is likely to release security updates addressing this specific vulnerability. Organizations should implement network segmentation to limit access to the Oracle BI Publisher web server components, particularly restricting HTTP access to only authorized personnel. Additional controls include enhanced monitoring of web server access logs for suspicious activities, implementation of web application firewalls to detect and block malicious requests, and regular security assessments of the Oracle Analytics environment. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 (Improper Access Control) and may be related to ATT&CK techniques involving privilege escalation and credential access. Security teams should also consider implementing principle of least privilege access controls, ensuring that users have only the minimum necessary permissions to perform their business functions. Regular vulnerability assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar access control weaknesses in other Oracle products within the organization's infrastructure, as this vulnerability may indicate broader systemic issues in the security posture of Oracle Analytics implementations.