Entries For: 2008
- December (1)
- November (1)
- July (3)
- April (8)
- January (5)
December 16, 2008
Oracle Critical Patch Update April 2007 New Vulnerability Information
New information has been released for an Oracle E-Business Suite 11i security vulnerability fixed as part of the April 2007 Critical Patch Update. The vulnerability was discovered by Joxean Koret and the TippingPoint Zero Day Initiative released the advisory. For those of you not familiar with the Zero Day Initiative, it is a security vendor sponsored program that pays for security vulnerability information.
Unfortunately, the Zero Day Initiative advisory ZDI-08-088 contains minimal information regarding the vulnerability and several inaccuracies. Oracle fixed this vulnerability as part of the April 2007 Critical Patch Update and subsequently in ATG_PF.H RUP5 and later. The vulnerability is a serious SQL injection bug in a Self-Service Web Application database package that is called and accessible through mod_plsql. Mod_plsql is an Apache module and part of an Oracle web framework which allows database packages to dynamically generate web pages. The vulnerable schema.package.procedure name is APPS.ICXSUPWF.DISPLAYCONTACTS and all versions 115.6 and prior are vulnerable. When creating intrusion detection/prevention rules for this vulnerability, the URL will only include the package/procedure name ICXSUPWF.DISPLAYCONTACTS and mod_plsql URLs are case-insensitive. This URL is normally blocked by the Oracle E-Business Suite 11i URL Firewall and should not be externally accessible.
Vulnerability "anthropologists" may be interested in the fact that this vulnerability has existed since at least September 1999 and likely was introduced several years earlier with the release of Oracle Applications 11.0.
Original Oracle Advisory:
Oracle Critical Patch Update April 2007 – APPS01
CVE Name:
CVE-2007-2126
Affected Product and Versions:
Oracle E-Business Suite 11.5.1 through 11.5.10.2
Affected Oracle E-Business Suite Modules:
Application Object Library (FND)/Self-Service Web Applications (ICX)
Patches:
11.5.1 - 11.5.6 – No patches are available for unsupported versions of the Oracle E-Business Suite
11.5.7 – 11.5.10.2 with ATG_PF.H RUP4 or prior – 5893391
11.5.9 – 11.5.10.2 with ATG_PF.H RUP5 or higher – No patch required as this fix was included in RUP5 and higher
References:
Integrigy Oracle Critical Patch Update April 2007 E-Business Suite Impact
Zero Day Initiative ZDI ZDI-08-088
Oracle Critical Patch Update April 2007 Advisory
Unfortunately, the Zero Day Initiative advisory ZDI-08-088 contains minimal information regarding the vulnerability and several inaccuracies. Oracle fixed this vulnerability as part of the April 2007 Critical Patch Update and subsequently in ATG_PF.H RUP5 and later. The vulnerability is a serious SQL injection bug in a Self-Service Web Application database package that is called and accessible through mod_plsql. Mod_plsql is an Apache module and part of an Oracle web framework which allows database packages to dynamically generate web pages. The vulnerable schema.package.procedure name is APPS.ICXSUPWF.DISPLAYCONTACTS and all versions 115.6 and prior are vulnerable. When creating intrusion detection/prevention rules for this vulnerability, the URL will only include the package/procedure name ICXSUPWF.DISPLAYCONTACTS and mod_plsql URLs are case-insensitive. This URL is normally blocked by the Oracle E-Business Suite 11i URL Firewall and should not be externally accessible.
Vulnerability "anthropologists" may be interested in the fact that this vulnerability has existed since at least September 1999 and likely was introduced several years earlier with the release of Oracle Applications 11.0.
Original Oracle Advisory:
Oracle Critical Patch Update April 2007 – APPS01
CVE Name:
CVE-2007-2126
Affected Product and Versions:
Oracle E-Business Suite 11.5.1 through 11.5.10.2
Affected Oracle E-Business Suite Modules:
Application Object Library (FND)/Self-Service Web Applications (ICX)
Patches:
11.5.1 - 11.5.6 – No patches are available for unsupported versions of the Oracle E-Business Suite
11.5.7 – 11.5.10.2 with ATG_PF.H RUP4 or prior – 5893391
11.5.9 – 11.5.10.2 with ATG_PF.H RUP5 or higher – No patch required as this fix was included in RUP5 and higher
References:
Integrigy Oracle Critical Patch Update April 2007 E-Business Suite Impact
Zero Day Initiative ZDI ZDI-08-088
Oracle Critical Patch Update April 2007 Advisory
Categories:
November 07, 2008
Oracle E-Business Suite 12.0.6 - Security Enhancements
The Oracle E-Business Suite R12 Release Update Pack (RUP6 or 12.0.6) was released on November 7, 2008. This is the latest cumulative update patch for all product families including Applications Technology (ATG). The patch is 2GB in size and can be applied on top of any R12 version. The only prerequisite step is to apply R12.AD.A.DELTA.6 (7305220). See Metalink Note ID 743368.1 for more information.
From a security perspective, there are security related changes and enhancements included in the 12.0.6 RUP patch.
Cumulative Oracle Critical Patch Updates for Oracle E-Business Suite R12
12.0.6 is cumulative and includes Critical Patch Update (CPU) October 2008 and all previous CPU patches for R12. Although, most organizations should look to apply the CPU patches using the standalone CPU patch rather with 12.0.6 as the RUP patch will take much longer to functionally test.
Record History for OA Framework Pages
Just as with the Forms, OA Framework pages now can display information on who and when a record was created or last updated. It is important to note that as with the Forms, this information is only create and last update and no history of changes between the create and last update is saved. The new profile option "FND: Record History Enabled" controls access to this feature.
AutoConfig Support for 11g Access Control Lists Support
For customers running R12 with 11g, AutoConfig has been enhanced to support the new fine-grained access control for the UTL_TCP, UTL_SMTP, UTL_MAIL, UTL_HTTP, or UTL_INADDR packages. This will eliminate access to these packages from accounts such as APPLSYSPUB.
Oracle E-Business Suite Diagnostics Role Based Access Control (RBAC)
The Diagnostics features has been rewritten to fully utilize RBAC. This will allow for the diagnostics security to be much more granular. A secondary change is that test sensitivity level can be set at the test-level instead of the group-level. These changes are most useful for customers that allow end-users and super-users access to the Diagnostic tests. After applying 12.0.6, the functionality and security of Diagnistics should be reviewed to determine if the level of access to the tests is appropriate and the new roles "Diagnostics Super User", "Application Super User", and "Application End User" are assigned appropriately.
From a security perspective, there are security related changes and enhancements included in the 12.0.6 RUP patch.
Cumulative Oracle Critical Patch Updates for Oracle E-Business Suite R12
12.0.6 is cumulative and includes Critical Patch Update (CPU) October 2008 and all previous CPU patches for R12. Although, most organizations should look to apply the CPU patches using the standalone CPU patch rather with 12.0.6 as the RUP patch will take much longer to functionally test.
Record History for OA Framework Pages
Just as with the Forms, OA Framework pages now can display information on who and when a record was created or last updated. It is important to note that as with the Forms, this information is only create and last update and no history of changes between the create and last update is saved. The new profile option "FND: Record History Enabled" controls access to this feature.
AutoConfig Support for 11g Access Control Lists Support
For customers running R12 with 11g, AutoConfig has been enhanced to support the new fine-grained access control for the UTL_TCP, UTL_SMTP, UTL_MAIL, UTL_HTTP, or UTL_INADDR packages. This will eliminate access to these packages from accounts such as APPLSYSPUB.
Oracle E-Business Suite Diagnostics Role Based Access Control (RBAC)
The Diagnostics features has been rewritten to fully utilize RBAC. This will allow for the diagnostics security to be much more granular. A secondary change is that test sensitivity level can be set at the test-level instead of the group-level. These changes are most useful for customers that allow end-users and super-users access to the Diagnostic tests. After applying 12.0.6, the functionality and security of Diagnistics should be reviewed to determine if the level of access to the tests is appropriate and the new roles "Diagnostics Super User", "Application Super User", and "Application End User" are assigned appropriately.
Categories:
July 28, 2008
Urgent Oracle [BEA] WebLogic Security Patch (CVE-2008-3257)
Oracle today released an urgent, out-of-cycle security patch for a critical flaw in the Apache Connector component (mod_weblogic) of the Oracle WebLogic Server (formerly BEA WebLogic Server). The CVE ID is CVE-2008-3257. The CVSS 2.0 score for this vulnerability is 10 out of 10. To put this into perspective, no previous Oracle vulnerability since Oracle began using CVSS base scores in October 2006 has scored a 10 and only 3 previous vulnerabilities (all related to Oracle Jinitiator) have scored 9 or higher.
The major risk associated with this vulnerability is that there are multiple published expliots, which allow for an attacker to compromise the integrity of the web server.
The major risk associated with this vulnerability is that there are multiple published expliots, which allow for an attacker to compromise the integrity of the web server.
Categories:
July 16, 2008
Oracle Security Advisories and CVE Identifiers
In a major change to the Oracle security advisory process and Critical Patch Update documentation, CVE identifiers are now used in place of the Oracle proprietary numbering scheme (i.e., DB01, AS01, APP01, etc.). Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) is a standardized dictionary and identifiers of published security advisories. The purpose of CVE is to provide a single identifier for security vulnerabilities so that vendors, tools, and organizations can all refer to the same vulnerability with a single identifier. The format of the CVE identifier is (1) a fixed "CVE" to indicate it is a CVE identifier, (2) the year (i.e., 2008), and (3) a sequential number of when the entry was added to CVE (i.e., 2607). As an example, the first database vulnerability is CVE-2008-2607.
The previous Oracle proprietary numbering scheme had several issues in relationship to CVE numbering -
The CVE identifiers in the Oracle advisory does use a single CVE identifier per vulnerability and maps directly to previously disclosed vulnerabilities (see CVE-2007-1359). Although it would have been nice if Oracle had included hyperlinks in the advisory to either CVE or NVD for easier access. It will be interesting to see if CVE-2007-1359 is fixed in this CPU as either CVE-2008-2589, CVE-2008-2594, or CVE-2008-2609, which would reduce the effectiveness of using the CVE identifiers and again result in duplication of vulnerabilities in CVE if CVE identifiers for previously disclosed vulnerabilities are not used.
Using the CVE Identifiers
Additional information on vulnerabilities can be found either in the CVE or the National Vulnerability Database (NVD) sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security. NVD contains the most detailed information including a break-down of the CVSS2 score and links to external references that may have more information on the vulnerability. The typical process is that a generic NVD is created with only a reference to the original Oracle advisory. When there is public disclosure with additional details on the vulnerability, the NVD entry is updated with links to those disclosures. This process should be much more timely and accurate as most public disclosures will now include the CVE identifier. Usually, about 30% of the vulnerabilities per quarter will have additional information and the database vulnerabilities typically have more information than the other products.
An example of a fully populated entry is the ModSecurity vulnerability that was previously fixed in ModSecurity 2.1.1 -
http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2007-1359
An example of an entry with additional details is the buffer overflow in the Oracle AQ package SYS.DBMS_AQELM -
http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2008-2607
The previous Oracle proprietary numbering scheme had several issues in relationship to CVE numbering -
- Oracle provided a mapping to previously released vulnerabilities only for those vulnerabilities in core components like Apache and OpenSSL. No mapping was provided for previously publicly disclosed vulnerabilities, so there are cases when the same vulnerability has two CVE identifiers.
- A single CVE identifier was usually assigned to multiple vulnerabilities in an almost arbitrary fashion. This meant that a CVE identifier might include vulnerabilities from multiple components and in the case of the Oracle E-Business Suite across multiple patches. For Integrigy, this caused problems with our vulnerability scanning tool, AppSentry, since our reports have to handle many-to-many mappings when dealing with CVEs, patches, and vulnerabilities.
- The CVE numbers were usually assigned 1-2 days after the Oracle release.
The CVE identifiers in the Oracle advisory does use a single CVE identifier per vulnerability and maps directly to previously disclosed vulnerabilities (see CVE-2007-1359). Although it would have been nice if Oracle had included hyperlinks in the advisory to either CVE or NVD for easier access. It will be interesting to see if CVE-2007-1359 is fixed in this CPU as either CVE-2008-2589, CVE-2008-2594, or CVE-2008-2609, which would reduce the effectiveness of using the CVE identifiers and again result in duplication of vulnerabilities in CVE if CVE identifiers for previously disclosed vulnerabilities are not used.
Using the CVE Identifiers
Additional information on vulnerabilities can be found either in the CVE or the National Vulnerability Database (NVD) sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security. NVD contains the most detailed information including a break-down of the CVSS2 score and links to external references that may have more information on the vulnerability. The typical process is that a generic NVD is created with only a reference to the original Oracle advisory. When there is public disclosure with additional details on the vulnerability, the NVD entry is updated with links to those disclosures. This process should be much more timely and accurate as most public disclosures will now include the CVE identifier. Usually, about 30% of the vulnerabilities per quarter will have additional information and the database vulnerabilities typically have more information than the other products.
An example of a fully populated entry is the ModSecurity vulnerability that was previously fixed in ModSecurity 2.1.1 -
http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2007-1359
An example of an entry with additional details is the buffer overflow in the Oracle AQ package SYS.DBMS_AQELM -
http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2008-2607
Categories:
July 11, 2008
Oracle Critical Patch Update July 2008 Pre-Release Analysis
Here is a brief analysis of the pre-release announcement for the upcoming July 2008 Oracle Critical Patch Update (CPU) -
Oracle Database
Oracle Application Server
Oracle E-Business Suite 11i and R12
Planning Impact
Correction: This post has been edited to update the supported Oracle E-Business Suite 11i versions. The original Oracle pre-release and Rev1 of the advisory incorrectly stated only 11.5.10.2 was supported - 11.5.10 and 11.5.10.1 are still supported.
- Overall, 45 security vulnerabilities are fixed in this CPU, which is an average number well within the range of previous CPUs (Apr-08=41, Jan-08=26, Oct-07=51, Jul-07=45, Apr-07=36, Jan-07=51, Oct-06=101, Jul-06=62, Apr-06=34, Jan-06=80).
- This is the first CPU that includes fixes for BEA WebLogic, Hyperion BI, and TimesTen Database.
- The product and vulnerability mix appears to be similar to previous CPUs. All CPU supported Oracle Database, Oracle Application Server, and Oracle E-Business Suite versions are included. The list of supported versions is getting very short and should be carefully reviewed to determine if version upgrades are required prior to applying the CPU security patches -
- Database = 9.2.0.8, 10.1.0.5, 10.2.0.3, 10.2.0.4, and 11.1.0.6 for major platforms
- Application Server = 9.0.4.3, 10.1.2, and 10.1.3
- E-Business Suite = 11.5.10.x, and 12.0.x
- The major CPU version support changes for July 2008 are -
- Database version 10.2.0.4 is included in the list of affected versions
- Oracle E-Business Suite 11i version 11.5.9 is no longer supported for CPUs
Oracle Database
- There are 11 database vulnerabilities and none are remotely exploitable without authentication, which is consistent with previous CPUs. Usually, the vast majority of database vulnerabilities require authentication. However, it is highly likely a portion of these vulnerabilities can be exploited using only PUBLIC privileges accessible by all database accounts.
- The vulnerabilities of most interest are in the Core RDBMS and Authentication components, but the Database Scheduler vulnerability could be interesting.
- At least one of the database security vulnerabilities has a CVSS 2.0 metric of 6.5, which for database vulnerabilities should be considered high risk. This typically means anyone with a valid database session is able to compromise the entire database, but is unable to achieve root operating system access.
- The 2 Oracle 11g vulnerabilities discovered by Integrigy are low risk and are not be directly exploitable, but may allow authentication security mis-configurations to go undetected.
Oracle Application Server
- There are 9 new Oracle Application Server vulnerabilities, all of which are remotely exploitable without authentication. In previous CPUs, the majority of Oracle Application Server vulnerabilities have tended to be remotely exploitable without authentication. The vulnerabilities are in Hyperion BI Plus, Oracle HTTP Server, Oracle Internet Directory, and Oracle Portal.
- The Oracle HTTP Server vulnerabilities may be related to recent Apache HTTP Server and OpenSSL fixes.
- The Oracle Portal vulnerability may be related to CVE-2008-2138, which is an access restriction bypass issue in the WebDav component of Oracle Portal.
Oracle E-Business Suite 11i and R12
- There are 6 new Oracle E-Business Suite 11i and R12 vulnerabilities and none are remotely exploitable without authentication. However, since iStore allows for customer self-registration, most likely the iStore vulnerability (or vulnerabilities) can be readily exploited by an unprivileged user.
- For the Oracle E-Business Suite 11i, only 11.5.10.x is now supported for CPUs and requires ATG_PF.H RUP 5 or RUP 6 be installed.
- The 2 Oracle E-Business Suite 11i/R12 vulnerabilities discovered by Integrigy are low risk and are in the Oracle Application Object Library (AOL/FND).
Planning Impact
- As with all previous CPUs, this quarter's security patches should be deemed critical and you should adhere to the established procedures and timing used for previous CPUs.
Correction: This post has been edited to update the supported Oracle E-Business Suite 11i versions. The original Oracle pre-release and Rev1 of the advisory incorrectly stated only 11.5.10.2 was supported - 11.5.10 and 11.5.10.1 are still supported.
April 30, 2008
OAUG eLearning: Oracle Critical Patch Update April 2008
This quarters Oracle Critical Patch Update (CPU) was released on Tuesday, April 15th. In order to provide a better understanding of the CPU, I will be presenting an Oracle Applications Users Group (OAUG) eLearning session on Thursday. The presentation will focus on the impact to Oracle E-Business Suite environments.
Thursday, May 1 at 9:00 am and 5:00 pm U.S. Eastern Time
"Every quarter, Oracle releases a Critical Patch Update (CPU) that fixes a hundred or so security bugs in all the Oracle products including the Oracle Database, Oracle Application Server, and Oracle E-Business Suite. These patches are large, complex, and often difficult to understand for the Oracle E-Business since multiple patches are required with some being cumulative and others needing prerequisites. This eLearning session will focus on the April 2008 CPU and the impact on E-Business Suite environments. Topics will include a review of the security vulnerabilities fixed in the CPU, an analysis of the required CPU patches, and a discussion of a high-level patch strategy."
This session is available free to OAUG members and you can sign-up for the session at -
http://secure.meetingexpectations.com/oaug/eLearning/elSchedule.aspx?DayOfWeek=5&mtd=5/1/2008
Categories:
April 23, 2008
Oracle Critical Patch Update - April 2008 - E-Business Suite Impact
Oracle released the fourteenth Critical Patch Update (CPU) last week. This quarter is the same as the previous thirteen with many patches and long hours in order to get all the security patches applied in a timely manner. Around 20 of the 41vulnerabilities fixed impact the Oracle E-Business Suite. Fortunately like the last few quarters, this quarter there are no new Oracle Application Server or Developer 6i patches required for the Oracle E-Business Suite 11i.
Integrigy discovered 8 of the 11 Oracle E-Business Suite vulnerabilities, which were reported to Oracle in November 2007.
This quarter does have a higher than average number of database vulnerabilities that can be exploited by lowly privileged database accounts, although even if it was just one vulnerability the database security patch should still be a priority.
Oracle continues the push to keep all customers on recent versions by only certifying the CPU patches with 9.2.0.8, 10.1.0.5, 10.2.0.3, and 11.1.0.6 for the database and ATG_PF.H RUP5, or RUP6 for the Oracle E-Business Suite 11i.
More information about the vulnerabilities and detailed recommendations on patching and testing is available at -
Oracle Oracle Critical Patch Update - April 2008 - E-Business Suite Impact
Oracle Critical Patch Update - April 2008 - Version Support Matrix
I will be presenting an OAUG eLearning Community Thursdays session on Thursday, May 1 giving additional information on the CPU and its impact on your Oracle Applications implementation. OAUG members can sign-up for the session at -
http://secure.meetingexpectations.com/oaug/eLearning/elSchedule.aspx?DayOfWeek=5&mtd=5/1/2008
Categories:
April 18, 2008
Integrigy COLLABORATE 08 Presentations On-line
The COLLABORATE 08 conference went very well this year with excellent attendance and, as usual, high quality and informative presentations. The aspect I especially like about COLLABORATE as compared to other conferences is that it is user-driven and almost all the 500+ technical sessions were devoid of any marketing speak or selling of products.
I presented 3 sessions between IOUG and OAUG, which were all well attended with over 150 people per session. I guess security is really starting to become ingrained at many organizations. I was somewhat surprised at the number of organizations relatively current with CPU patches based on the informal and highly unscientific "show of hands" surveys.
The PowerPoint presentations from my 3 sessions can be downloaded here -
Oracle E-Business Suite Critical Patch Updates: Insight and Understanding
Oracle Database Critical Patch Updates: Unwrapped
Real-life Database Security Mistakes
I presented 3 sessions between IOUG and OAUG, which were all well attended with over 150 people per session. I guess security is really starting to become ingrained at many organizations. I was somewhat surprised at the number of organizations relatively current with CPU patches based on the informal and highly unscientific "show of hands" surveys.
The PowerPoint presentations from my 3 sessions can be downloaded here -
Oracle Applications Users Group (OAUG)
Oracle E-Business Suite Critical Patch Updates: Insight and Understanding
Independent Oracle Users Group (IOUG)
Oracle Database Critical Patch Updates: Unwrapped
Real-life Database Security Mistakes
April 14, 2008
Critical Patch Update April 2008 Pre-Release Analysis
Here is a brief analysis of the pre-release announcement for the upcoming April 2008 Oracle Critical Patch Update (CPU) -
Oracle Application Server
Oracle E-Business Suite 11i and R12
Planning Impact
Note: The pre-release announcement is removed when the CPU is released.
- Overall, 41 security vulnerabilities are fixed in this CPU, which is an average number well within the range of previous CPUs (Jan-08=26, Oct-07=51, Jul-07=45, Apr-07=36, Jan-07=51, Oct-06=101, Jul-06=62, Apr-06=34, Jan-06=80).
- This is the first CPU that includes fixes for Siebel.
- The product and vulnerability mix appears to be similar to previous CPUs. All CPU supported Oracle Database, Oracle Application Server, Oracle Collaboration Suite, and Oracle E-Business Suite versions are included. The list of supported versions is getting very short and should be carefully reviewed to determine if version upgrades are required prior to applying the CPU security patches -
- Database = 9.2.0.8, 10.1.0.5, 10.2.0.3, and 11.1.0.6 for major platforms
- Application Server = 9.0.4.3, 10.1.2, and 10.1.3
- E-Business Suite = 11.5.9, 11.5.10.x, and 12.0.x
- The major CPU version support changes for April 2008 are -
- Database version 10.2.0.2 is only supported for Solaris x86 and VMS
- Oracle E-Business Suite 11i will require ATG RUP5 or RUP6
- Oracle instituted a new policy with the July 2007 CPU in that platforms with few downloads of CPU patches will not have patches proactively created -- the CPU patches will only be available upon request. According to the January 2008 CPU note (Metalink Note ID 466757.1), patches for database version 10.1.0.5 on several platforms will be available only upon request for the April 2008 CPU. For the Oracle Application Server, many platforms have "On Request" patches across all versions, especially 9.0.4.3. The database note for the January 2008 CPU will have a section titled "Planned Patches for Next CPU Release" that should be carefully reviewed to determine if your platform/version will be an "On Request" patch in the next release.
- There are 17 database vulnerabilities and two are remotely exploitable without authentication. Since APEX, Net Services, Authentication, and UltraSearch are included as affected components, it will be very interesting to see where the remotely exploitable vulnerabilities lie.
- At least one of the database security vulnerabilities has a CVSS 2.0 metric of 6.6, which for database vulnerabilities should be considered high risk. This typically means anyone with a valid database session is able to compromise the entire database, but is unable to achieve root operating system access.
- According to the January 2008 CPU notes, there is very limited platform support for 10.2.0.2. Only the following platforms are supported for 10.2.0.2 by the April 2008 CPU: Solaris X86 and VMS.
Oracle Application Server
- There are 3 new Oracle Applications vulnerabilities, all of which are remotely exploitable without authentication. Two impact the Oracle Application server components Oracle Dynamic Monitoring Service and Oracle Portal. The third vulnerability is in Oracle Jinitiator, which is a client installed product.
Oracle E-Business Suite 11i and R12
- 7 of the 11 vulnerabilities in the Oracle E-Business Suite are remotely exploitable without authentication. Most of the vulnerabilities are in core components like OA Framework and AOL, so all implementations should consider most of these patches as important.
Planning Impact
- As with all previous CPUs, this quarter's security patches should be deemed critical and you should adhere to the established procedures and timing used for previous CPUs.
Note: The pre-release announcement is removed when the CPU is released.
"Hundreds of Oracle Products"
In the Oracle pre-release announcement for the April 2008 Critical Patch Update, one line in particular did catch my attention. I know Oracle has purchased many companies in the past few years. So how many products does Oracle have? Well, the CPU pre-release announcement states that --
"This Critical Patch Update contains 41 security fixes across hundreds of Oracle products."
I am assuming every Oracle E-Business Suite module counts as a separate product and potentially every database component, so there would be several hundred. I wonder if Oracle has an official count of products somewhere. There are 642 products listed in the Bug Search in Metalink.
Just something to think about when you are reviewing a CPU as it includes fixes for over 600 Oracle products.
"This Critical Patch Update contains 41 security fixes across hundreds of Oracle products."
I am assuming every Oracle E-Business Suite module counts as a separate product and potentially every database component, so there would be several hundred. I wonder if Oracle has an official count of products somewhere. There are 642 products listed in the Bug Search in Metalink.
Just something to think about when you are reviewing a CPU as it includes fixes for over 600 Oracle products.
Categories:
April 08, 2008
COLLABORATE 08 Presentations
For those of you not familiar with COLLABORATE or have not previously attended, the Oracle Applications Users Group (OAUG), Independent Oracle Users Group (IOUG), and Quest have teamed together to host a user-driven event with exceptional content. COLLABORATE 08 is next week, Sunday, April 13 through Thursday, April 17 in Denver. This year there will be over 500 technical sessions covering virtually every Oracle product.
Integrigy's CTO, Stephen Kost, will be presenting three technical sessions, participating on a panel, and co-presenting in pre/post conference workshops.
Oracle Critical Patch Updates: Insight and Understanding
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
3:30 PM-4:30 PM
Securing the Oracle E-Business Suite Best Practices Panel
Moderated by Randy Giefer of Solution Beacon
Monday, April 14, 2008
8:00 AM-9:00 AM
120: Oracle Critical Patch Updates Unwrapped
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
1:30 PM - 2:30 PM
383: Real-life Database Security Mistakes
Thursday, April 17, 2008
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
In conjunction with Jeff Hare of ERP Seminars, Stephen Kost is presenting a 1 hour session on Oracle Applications security at the "Oracle E-Business Suite Internal Controls and Security" pre and post conference workshops. Integrigy is pleased to be collaborating with Jeff Hare on these workshops as he is one of the world's leading experts on Oracle Applications internal controls.
Internal Controls and Security Best Practices in an Oracle Applications Environment
See you in Denver!
Integrigy's CTO, Stephen Kost, will be presenting three technical sessions, participating on a panel, and co-presenting in pre/post conference workshops.
Oracle Applications Users Group (OAUG)
Oracle Critical Patch Updates: Insight and Understanding
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
3:30 PM-4:30 PM
Securing the Oracle E-Business Suite Best Practices Panel
Moderated by Randy Giefer of Solution Beacon
Monday, April 14, 2008
8:00 AM-9:00 AM
Independent Oracle Users Group (IOUG)
120: Oracle Critical Patch Updates Unwrapped
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
1:30 PM - 2:30 PM
383: Real-life Database Security Mistakes
Thursday, April 17, 2008
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Pre and Post Conference OAUG Workshops
In conjunction with Jeff Hare of ERP Seminars, Stephen Kost is presenting a 1 hour session on Oracle Applications security at the "Oracle E-Business Suite Internal Controls and Security" pre and post conference workshops. Integrigy is pleased to be collaborating with Jeff Hare on these workshops as he is one of the world's leading experts on Oracle Applications internal controls.
Internal Controls and Security Best Practices in an Oracle Applications Environment
- Sunday, April 13 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
- Thursday, April 17 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
See you in Denver!
Categories:
Oracle Critical Patch Updates Database Patchset Support
A point of contention and confusion regarding Oracle Critical Patch Update (CPU) database patches is that only a limited set of database patchsets are supported. For the January 2008 CPU, only the patchsets 9.2.0.8, 10.1.0.5, 10.2.0.2, 10.2.0.3, and 11.1.0.6 are supported. Oracle's policy is stated in the CPU Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) (Metalink Note ID 360470.1) -
The "Database, FMW, and OCS Software Error Correction Support Policy Version 2.1" (Metalink Note ID 209768.1) provides more details on the CPU support policy, since there are a number of exceptions or deviations in the policy based on platforms and extended support. Appendix A gives exact timing for patchset support for the database and Fusion middleware, which is 1 year from the release of the most current patchset. For database versions under Extended Support, CPU patches will be available for the terminal patchset until Extended Support period ends.
Based on Oracle's policy, all organizations as a matter of policy should apply a database patchset at least annually in order to apply CPU patches on a timely basis. Oracle maintains strict adherence to this policy with few exceptions. With the release of 10.2.0.4 in February/March 2008 for Linux and other platforms, CPU support for 10.2.0.3 should be ending March 2009 -- this means no April 2009 CPU for 10.2.0.3. This support timeline can be problematic for some databases as the application may not allow or certify the newest patchset for a number of months, thus cutting this year to a few months in some cases.
(This may be difficult for many organizations to fathom since many have not yet applied April 2007 nor upgraded from 10.2.0.2.)
"As a general rule, Critical Patch Updates (CPUs) are created for the last two patch sets of Server Technologies releases during the period when a release is in Premier Support (under the Lifetime Support Policy) or Error Correction Support (ECS). However, in the case where the latest patch set of a release has been available for more than 1 year, CPUs will be provided only for the most recent patch set for that release. Once a release enters its Extended Support (under the Lifetime Support Policy) or Extended Maintenance Support (EMS) period, CPUs are created only for the last patch set of that release."
Based on Oracle's policy, all organizations as a matter of policy should apply a database patchset at least annually in order to apply CPU patches on a timely basis. Oracle maintains strict adherence to this policy with few exceptions. With the release of 10.2.0.4 in February/March 2008 for Linux and other platforms, CPU support for 10.2.0.3 should be ending March 2009 -- this means no April 2009 CPU for 10.2.0.3. This support timeline can be problematic for some databases as the application may not allow or certify the newest patchset for a number of months, thus cutting this year to a few months in some cases.
(This may be difficult for many organizations to fathom since many have not yet applied April 2007 nor upgraded from 10.2.0.2.)
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Oracle Critical Patch Updates - Types of Fixes in Database Patches
An issue in applying Oracle Critical Patch Update (CPU) database security patches has been that the patches may include non-security related fixes. The list of bugs fixed in the database patch readme is cryptic at best and it can be difficult to to determine the true impact of a specific CPU patch. By including non-security related fixes in the CPU patch reduces the confidence that the patch will not break something.
With the introduction of the "n-apply" patch structure for 10.2.0.3 in the July 2007 CPU, Oracle's policy changed for 10.2.0.3 and later patchsets in that non-security fixes are no longer included in the CPU patches. From Metalink Note ID 209768.1 Software Error Correction Policy 2.1 -
The disadvantage of this new policy is that some customers will experience a greater number of patch conflicts requiring merge patches. The "n-apply" patch structure does allow for partial patch installation which reduces the overall exposure and fixes most of the security bugs while waiting for Oracle to create a merge patch.
With the introduction of the "n-apply" patch structure for 10.2.0.3 in the July 2007 CPU, Oracle's policy changed for 10.2.0.3 and later patchsets in that non-security fixes are no longer included in the CPU patches. From Metalink Note ID 209768.1 Software Error Correction Policy 2.1 -
Starting with Database patch set 10.2.0.3, CPUs have security fixes and any pre-requisite non-security fixes, but no longer contain non-security fixes introduced to resolve patch conflicts. Even though Oracle intends to include mainly security fixes in CPUs, we may decide to include high-priority non-security fixes. We will always identify them in the CPU documentation.
The disadvantage of this new policy is that some customers will experience a greater number of patch conflicts requiring merge patches. The "n-apply" patch structure does allow for partial patch installation which reduces the overall exposure and fixes most of the security bugs while waiting for Oracle to create a merge patch.
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January 31, 2008
Oracle Exploits
Since several new Oracle exploits were published this week, I thought it would be a good time to provide some background on exploits.
A topic of conversation whenever discussing Oracle security vulnerabilities is the complexity of exploiting such vulnerabilities. Most Oracle professionals only have a cursory understanding of buffer overflows, SQL injection, cross site scripting (XSS), privilege escalation, etc., thus believe it is difficult to exploit many of the security bugs fixed in Oracle Critical Patch Updates. Most Oracle vulnerabilities are very difficult to exploit solely based on the information delivered by Oracle. Significant research, deep knowledge of the Oracle product, dissection of patches, and time are required to develop a new exploit. Although, after developing a few exploits, the process becomes much easier and an experienced professional may be able to develop a fully functional exploit in a matter of hours.
However, all is not lost for the newbie, novice attacker. Fortunately for those looking to reap ill-gotten fortunes from security-lax corporations, security researches routinely publish detailed exploit code for at least a handful of the security bugs fixed each quarter. Any Oracle developer could easily execute almost all these published exploits. With even limited knowledge of SQL and Oracle, possibly an accounts payables clerk who did a little homework could exploit some of these vulnerabilities. (For those of you who think the accounts payable clerk example is far fetched should read the Secret Service's Banking and Financial Sector "Insider Threat Study".)
The published exploit code is not on some obscure web site, rather it is frequently published on a number of reputable web sites and popular mailing lists. Simple Google searches will have numerous hits on phrases like 'oracle exploits'. A recent trend has been to even incorporate evasion techniques into the exploit code, just in case an organization has deployed a database intrusion prevention system.
Two well organized sites with many published exploits are -
Both these sites are worth a visit to understand how simple it is to use many of these published exploits and how important it is to properly protect databases, application servers, and applications.
A topic of conversation whenever discussing Oracle security vulnerabilities is the complexity of exploiting such vulnerabilities. Most Oracle professionals only have a cursory understanding of buffer overflows, SQL injection, cross site scripting (XSS), privilege escalation, etc., thus believe it is difficult to exploit many of the security bugs fixed in Oracle Critical Patch Updates. Most Oracle vulnerabilities are very difficult to exploit solely based on the information delivered by Oracle. Significant research, deep knowledge of the Oracle product, dissection of patches, and time are required to develop a new exploit. Although, after developing a few exploits, the process becomes much easier and an experienced professional may be able to develop a fully functional exploit in a matter of hours.
However, all is not lost for the newbie, novice attacker. Fortunately for those looking to reap ill-gotten fortunes from security-lax corporations, security researches routinely publish detailed exploit code for at least a handful of the security bugs fixed each quarter. Any Oracle developer could easily execute almost all these published exploits. With even limited knowledge of SQL and Oracle, possibly an accounts payables clerk who did a little homework could exploit some of these vulnerabilities. (For those of you who think the accounts payable clerk example is far fetched should read the Secret Service's Banking and Financial Sector "Insider Threat Study".)
The published exploit code is not on some obscure web site, rather it is frequently published on a number of reputable web sites and popular mailing lists. Simple Google searches will have numerous hits on phrases like 'oracle exploits'. A recent trend has been to even incorporate evasion techniques into the exploit code, just in case an organization has deployed a database intrusion prevention system.
Two well organized sites with many published exploits are -
- Red Database Security
- milw0rm
http://www.milw0rm.com/search.php?dong=oracle (direct Oracle search)
Both these sites are worth a visit to understand how simple it is to use many of these published exploits and how important it is to properly protect databases, application servers, and applications.
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January 16, 2008
OAUG eLearning: Oracle Critical Patch Update January 2008
This quarters Oracle Critical Patch Update (CPU) was released on Tuesday, January 15th. In order to provide a better understanding of the CPU, I will be presenting an Oracle Applications Users Group (OAUG) eLearning session on Thursday. The presentation will focus on the impact to Oracle E-Business Suite environments.
Thursday, January 17 at 9:00 am and 5:00 pm U.S. Eastern Time
"Every quarter, Oracle releases a Critical Patch Update (CPU) that fixes a hundred or so security bugs in all the Oracle products including the Oracle Database, Oracle Application Server, and Oracle E-Business Suite. These patches are large, complex, and often difficult to understand for the Oracle E-Business since multiple patches are required with some being cumulative and others needing prerequisites. This eLearning session will focus on the January 2008 CPU and the impact on E-Business Suite environments. Topics will include a review of the security vulnerabilities fixed in the CPU, an analysis of the required CPU patches, and a discussion of a high-level patch strategy."
This session is available free to OAUG members and you can sign-up for the session at -
http://secure.meetingexpectations.com/oaug/eLearning/elSchedule.aspx?DayOfWeek=5&mtd=1/1/2008
Thursday, January 17 at 9:00 am and 5:00 pm U.S. Eastern Time
"Every quarter, Oracle releases a Critical Patch Update (CPU) that fixes a hundred or so security bugs in all the Oracle products including the Oracle Database, Oracle Application Server, and Oracle E-Business Suite. These patches are large, complex, and often difficult to understand for the Oracle E-Business since multiple patches are required with some being cumulative and others needing prerequisites. This eLearning session will focus on the January 2008 CPU and the impact on E-Business Suite environments. Topics will include a review of the security vulnerabilities fixed in the CPU, an analysis of the required CPU patches, and a discussion of a high-level patch strategy."
This session is available free to OAUG members and you can sign-up for the session at -
http://secure.meetingexpectations.com/oaug/eLearning/elSchedule.aspx?DayOfWeek=5&mtd=1/1/2008
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January 15, 2008
Oracle Critical Patch Update - January 2008 - E-Business Suite Impact
Oracle released the thirteenth Critical Patch Update (CPU) today. This quarter is the same as the previous twelve with many patches and long hours in order to get all the security patches applied in a timely manner. 17 of the 27 vulnerabilities fixed impact Oracle E-Business Suite 11i. Fortunately like the last few quarters, this quarter there are no new Oracle Application Server or Developer 6i patches required for the Oracle E-Business Suite 11i.
There is a significant Oracle Jinitiator patch that fixes a previously discussed vulnerability. The key part about upgrading Jinitiator is that all previous versions must be removed from the client PC since every new version of Jinitiator is a unique install and does not remove the previous version.
For R12, Oracle has now made the Oracle Applications patches cumulative and the patch is also included in the newly released 12.0.4 patch.
This quarter does have a lower than average number of database vulnerabilities that can be exploited by lowly privileged database accounts, although even if it was just one vulnerability the database security patch should still be a priority.
Oracle continues the push to keep all customers on recent versions by only certifying the CPU patches with 9.2.0.8, 10.1.0.5, 10.2.0.2, and 10.2.0.3 for the database and RUP4, RUP5, or RUP6 for the Oracle E-Business Suite 11i.
More information about the vulnerabilities and detailed recommendations on patching and testing is available at -
Oracle Oracle Critical Patch Update - January 2008 - E-Business Suite Impact
Oracle Critical Patch Update - January 2008 - Version Support Matrix
I will be presenting an OAUG eLearning Community Thursdays session this Thursday January 17th giving additional information on the CPU and its impact on your Oracle Applications implementation. OAUG members can sign-up for the session at -
http://secure.meetingexpectations.com/oaug/eLearning/elSchedule.aspx?DayOfWeek=5&mtd=10/1/2007
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January 10, 2008
Critical Patch Update January 2008 Pre-Release Analysis
Here is a brief analysis of the pre-release announcement for the upcoming January 2008 Oracle Critical Patch Update (CPU) -
Oracle Application Server
Oracle E-Business Suite 11i and R12
Planning Impact
Note: The pre-release announcement is removed when the CPU is released.
- Overall, 27 security vulnerabilities are fixed in this CPU, which is the lowest number of bugs fixed since the original CPU released in January 2005 that fixed 25 bugs (Oct-07=51, Jul-07=45, Apr-07=36, Jan-07=51, Oct-06=101, Jul-06=62, Apr-06=34, Jan-06=80).
- This is the first CPU that includes fixes for Oracle 11g (11.1.0.6).
- The product and vulnerability mix appears to be similar to previous CPUs. All CPU supported Oracle Database, Oracle Application Server, Oracle Collaboration Suite, and Oracle E-Business Suite versions are included. The list of supported versions is getting very short and should be carefully reviewed to determine if version upgrades are required prior to applying the CPU security patches -
- Database = 9.2.0.8, 10.1.0.5, 10.2.0.2, and 10.2.0.3, 11.1.0.6
- Application Server = 9.0.4.3, 10.1.2, and 10.1.3
- E-Business Suite = 11.5.9, 11.5.10.x, and 12.0.x
- Oracle instituted a new policy with the July 2007 CPU in that platforms with few downloads of CPU patches will not have patches proactively created -- the CPU patches will only be available upon request. According to the October 2007 CPU note (Metalink Note ID 455287.1), patches for 10.1.0.5 on several platforms will be available only upon request for the January 2008 CPU. The database note for the January 2008 CPU will have a section titled "Planned Patches for Next CPU Release" that should be carefully reviewed to determine if your platform/version will be an "On Request" patch in the next release.
- There are 8 database vulnerabilities and none are remotely exploitable.
- At least one of the database security vulnerabilities has a CVSS 2.0 metric of 6.5, which for database vulnerabilities should be considered high risk. This typically means anyone with a valid database session is able to compromise the entire database, but is unable to achieve root operating system access.
- According to the October 2007 CPU notes, there is only limited platform support for 10.2.0.2. Only the following platforms are supported for 10.2.0.2 by the January 2008 CPU: AIX 5L, HP Itanium, HP/UX, IBM zLinux, Linux x86-64, Linux Itanium, and Linux on Power. Key missing platforms include all Solaris and Windows operating systems.
Oracle Application Server
- 5 of the 6 vulnerabilities are remotely exploitable without authentication, although none impact the Oracle HTTP Server (Apache).
- A previously disclosed Jinitiator bug is fixed and the key to fixing this bug is removal of previous Jinitiator versions from all client PCs as well as upgrading Jinitiator on the application servers. Whenever possible, Jinitiator should be upgraded to at least 1.3.1.29 or replaced with the Sun Java Plug-in.
Oracle E-Business Suite 11i and R12
- 3 of the 7 vulnerabilities in the Oracle E-Business Suite are remotely exploitable without authentication. Most of the vulnerabilities are in core components like OA Framework, so all implementations should consider most of these patches as critical.
- 11.5.8 is no longer supported, therefore, there is no CPU support. April 2008 will be the last CPU for 11.5.9.
Planning Impact
- As with all previous CPUs, this quarter's security patches should be deemed critical and you should adhere to the established procedures and timing used for previous CPUs.
Note: The pre-release announcement is removed when the CPU is released.
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Critical Patch Update January 2008 E-Mail Reminder
As part of the Oracle quarterly Critical Patch Update (CPU) process, a new reminder e-mail of the upcoming CPU is being sent to all individuals who signed up for e-mail notifications on the CPU web page. This e-mail is only a reminder that the next CPU will be released on January 15, 2008 (sometime after noon Pacific Time).
What is missing from the e-mail is that on Thursday January 10th, Oracle will release a pre-announcement of the upcoming CPU with some details as to the number of security bugs fixed and the maximum severity of the bugs fixed for each product set. This pre-announcement does provide limited insight, but generally won't change many organizations plans unless there is something dramatic and out of the ordinary fixed. It is most useful for Oracle Application Server and Oracle E-Business Suite customers as there is variability to the components fixed and a specific CPU may not impact security critical components like Single-Signon or EBS Internet modules.
(Thanks to Randy for pointing out this e-mail)
What is missing from the e-mail is that on Thursday January 10th, Oracle will release a pre-announcement of the upcoming CPU with some details as to the number of security bugs fixed and the maximum severity of the bugs fixed for each product set. This pre-announcement does provide limited insight, but generally won't change many organizations plans unless there is something dramatic and out of the ordinary fixed. It is most useful for Oracle Application Server and Oracle E-Business Suite customers as there is variability to the components fixed and a specific CPU may not impact security critical components like Single-Signon or EBS Internet modules.
From: Oracle Security Alerts [mailto:replies@oracle-mail.com]
Sent: Thursday, January 10, 2008 12:25 AM
To: Kost, Stephen
Subject: Oracle Critical Patch Update January 2008
January 9th, 2008
Oracle Critical Patch Update January 2008
Dear Oracle customer,
The Critical Patch Update for January 2008 is planned to be released on January 15, 2008. Oracle strongly recommends applying the patches as soon as possible.
The Critical Patch Update Advisory is the starting point for relevant information. It includes the list of products affected, pointers to obtain the patches, a summary of the security vulnerabilities for each product suite, and links to other important documents. Supported products that are not listed in the "Supported Products and Components Affected" section of the advisory do not require new patches to be applied.
Also, it is essential to review the Critical Patch Update supporting documentation referenced in the Advisory before applying patches, as this is where you can find important pertinent information.
The Critical Patch Update Advisory is available at any of the following locations:
Oracle Technology Network: http://www.oracle.com/technology/deploy/security/alerts.htm
Oracle, PeopleSoft and JD Edwards products: http://www.peoplesoft.com/corp/en/support/security_index.jsp
The next four Critical Patch Update release dates are:
April 15, 2008
July 15, 2008
October 14, 2008
January 13, 2009
Sincerely, Oracle Security Alerts
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