CVE-2026-60608 in PeopleSoft Enterprise CS Financial Aid
Summary
by MITRE • 07/22/2026
Vulnerability in the PeopleSoft Enterprise CS Financial Aid product of Oracle PeopleSoft (component: Institutional Methodology Need Analysis). The supported version that is affected is 9.2.38. Easily exploitable vulnerability allows low privileged attacker with logon to the infrastructure where PeopleSoft Enterprise CS Financial Aid executes to compromise PeopleSoft Enterprise CS Financial Aid. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized creation, deletion or modification access to critical data or all PeopleSoft Enterprise CS Financial Aid accessible data as well as unauthorized read access to a subset of PeopleSoft Enterprise CS Financial Aid accessible data. CVSS 3.1 Base Score 6.1 (Confidentiality and Integrity impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:H/A:N).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/22/2026
This vulnerability exists within Oracle PeopleSoft Enterprise CS Financial Aid version 9.2.38, specifically in the Institutional Methodology Need Analysis component, representing a significant security weakness that can be exploited by attackers with minimal privileges. The flaw resides in the application's authorization mechanisms, allowing an attacker who has already gained access to the underlying infrastructure to escalate their privileges and compromise the entire financial aid system. The vulnerability's low exploitability factor means that even relatively unsophisticated attackers with basic system access can potentially leverage this weakness to gain substantial control over sensitive data processing functions.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from inadequate access controls within the Institutional Methodology Need Analysis module, which governs how financial aid calculations and need analysis are performed for students. When an attacker successfully exploits this weakness, they can manipulate the system to perform unauthorized operations including creating, deleting, or modifying critical financial aid data. The impact extends beyond simple data corruption as attackers can also gain read access to sensitive subsets of data that should remain protected, potentially exposing student financial information and institutional funding details. This represents a fundamental breakdown in the principle of least privilege that should normally govern such enterprise applications.
The operational consequences of this vulnerability are severe given that PeopleSoft Enterprise CS Financial Aid systems process highly sensitive personal and financial data for thousands of students across educational institutions. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability could potentially alter financial aid eligibility calculations, manipulate award amounts, or access confidential student records containing Social Security numbers, income details, and other personally identifiable information. The confidentiality impact rating of 6.1 on the CVSS scale reflects the serious nature of potential data exposure, while the integrity impact rating of 8.0 indicates the significant risk of data modification that could compromise institutional financial aid programs and student outcomes.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying Oracle's security patches and updates to the PeopleSoft Enterprise CS Financial Aid system, reviewing and strengthening access controls for the affected component, and implementing additional monitoring for suspicious activities within the financial aid processing environment. Security teams should also conduct comprehensive access reviews to ensure that only authorized personnel have the necessary privileges to interact with the Institutional Methodology Need Analysis module. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 (Improper Access Control) and could potentially be leveraged as part of broader attack chains in accordance with ATT&CK techniques related to privilege escalation and credential access. Organizations must also consider network segmentation to limit lateral movement capabilities for potential attackers who may have gained initial access through other means, while implementing robust audit logging to detect unauthorized modifications to financial aid data processing functions.
The CVSS vector analysis reveals that this vulnerability requires local access with low complexity and low privilege requirements, making it particularly dangerous in environments where insiders or compromised accounts exist. The unscoped impact (S:U) indicates that the compromise could affect the entire system rather than being limited to a specific component, while the confidentiality and integrity scores of 6.1 and 8.0 respectively demonstrate that this vulnerability can result in both unauthorized data disclosure and modification, potentially affecting institutional financial aid operations and student welfare programs. This type of vulnerability underscores the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and implementing layered defense strategies to protect enterprise applications handling sensitive personal data.