CVE-2023-21921 Explained : Impact and Mitigation

This CVE-2023-21921 involves a vulnerability in the Oracle Health Sciences InForm product, impacting Oracle Health Sciences Applications. It allows a low-privileged attacker with network access via HTTP to compromise Oracle Health Sciences InForm, potentially leading to unauthorized data access and modifications.

Understanding CVE-2023-21921

This section delves deeper into the specifics of the CVE-2023-21921 vulnerability, its impact, technical details, and mitigation strategies.

What is CVE-2023-21921?

CVE-2023-21921 is an easily exploitable vulnerability that enables a low-privileged attacker to compromise Oracle Health Sciences InForm through network access via HTTP. Successful exploitation can result in unauthorized data access and modifications within the Oracle Health Sciences InForm system.

The Impact of CVE-2023-21921

The impact of CVE-2023-21921 is significant, allowing attackers to gain unauthorized update, insert, or delete access to Oracle Health Sciences InForm data. Additionally, unauthorized read access to a subset of data is also possible, posing risks to data confidentiality and integrity. The CVSS 3.1 Base Score for this vulnerability is 5.4, indicating medium severity with confidentiality and integrity impacts.

Technical Details of CVE-2023-21921

Understanding the technical aspects of CVE-2023-21921 is crucial for implementing effective mitigation measures.

Vulnerability Description

The vulnerability in the Oracle Health Sciences InForm product allows attackers with low privileges and network access via HTTP to compromise the system, potentially leading to unauthorized data access and modifications.

Affected Systems and Versions

The Oracle Health Sciences InForm product of Oracle Health Sciences Applications is affected. Specifically, versions prior to 6.3.1.3 and 7.0.0.1 are vulnerable to this exploit.

Exploitation Mechanism

Attackers can exploit CVE-2023-21921 by leveraging network access via HTTP to compromise Oracle Health Sciences InForm, gaining unauthorized access to data and potentially manipulating it.

Mitigation and Prevention

Taking immediate steps and adopting long-term security practices are essential to mitigate the risks posed by CVE-2023-21921.

Immediate Steps to Take

Organizations should promptly apply security patches provided by Oracle to address the vulnerability.
Limit network access and privilege levels to reduce the potential impact of unauthorized access.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regular security assessments and audits can help identify and mitigate vulnerabilities proactively.
Enhancing network security measures and access controls can reduce the risk of exploitation.

Patching and Updates

Ensure that the Oracle Health Sciences InForm product is updated to versions 6.3.1.3 or 7.0.0.1, which contain patches to address the vulnerability CVE-2023-21921. Regularly check for security advisories from Oracle to stay informed about potential threats and updates.