CVE-2023-21983 : Security Advisory and Response

This CVE-2023-21983 article provides detailed insights into a vulnerability identified in the Application Express Administration product of Oracle Application Express.

Understanding CVE-2023-21983

This section delves into the nature of CVE-2023-21983, its impact, technical details, and mitigation strategies.

What is CVE-2023-21983?

CVE-2023-21983 pertains to a difficult-to-exploit vulnerability in the Application Express Administration of Oracle Application Express. An unauthenticated attacker with network access via HTTP could compromise the Application Express Administration, potentially leading to unauthorized data access and partial denial of service.

The Impact of CVE-2023-21983

Successful exploitation of this vulnerability could result in unauthorized update, insert, or delete access to Application Express Administration data, as well as unauthorized read access to a subset of data. Additionally, attackers may disrupt Application Express Administration services, causing a partial denial of service.

Technical Details of CVE-2023-21983

This section provides a deeper understanding of the vulnerability, affected systems and versions, and the exploitation mechanism.

Vulnerability Description

The vulnerability in Application Express Administration (versions 18.2 to 22.2) allows unauthenticated attackers over the network to compromise the system, potentially leading to unauthorized data access and partial denial of service. The CVSS 3.1 Base Score for this vulnerability is 5.6, indicating medium severity in terms of confidentiality, integrity, and availability impacts.

Affected Systems and Versions

The impacted system is the Application Express Administration product within Oracle Application Express, versions 18.2 to 22.2.

Exploitation Mechanism

The vulnerability can be exploited by unauthenticated attackers with network access via HTTP. The attack vector is through the network with high complexity and requires no privileges or user interaction. The scope remains unchanged, with low impacts on confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

Mitigation and Prevention

This section focuses on immediate steps to take, long-term security practices, and the importance of patching and updates.

Immediate Steps to Take

To mitigate the risk associated with CVE-2023-21983, it is crucial to restrict network access to the vulnerable system and apply security updates provided by Oracle promptly.

Long-Term Security Practices

Implementing robust network security measures, regularly monitoring and auditing system activity, conducting security training for employees, and maintaining up-to-date systems can enhance overall security posture.

Patching and Updates

Oracle has released security updates addressing the vulnerability. Organizations using affected versions of Application Express Administration should apply the relevant patches as soon as possible to safeguard their systems from potential exploitation.