CVE-2022-21511: Oracle Database Privilege Escalation Bug

CVE-2022-21511 Overview

CVE-2022-21511 affects the Recovery component of Oracle Database Server, Enterprise Edition. The vulnerability allows a high-privileged attacker with EXECUTE ON DBMS_IR.EXECUTESQLSCRIPT privilege and Oracle Net network access to compromise the Recovery component. Successful exploitation results in full takeover of Oracle Database Enterprise Edition Recovery, with impacts on confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

Oracle's advisory notes that none of the currently supported versions are affected. The issue was published as part of the Oracle Critical Patch Update on July 19, 2022.

Critical Impact

A high-privileged database user holding EXECUTE on DBMS_IR.EXECUTESQLSCRIPT can take over the Oracle Database Enterprise Edition Recovery component over Oracle Net, fully compromising confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

Affected Products

• Oracle Database Server, Enterprise Edition
• Oracle Database Recovery component (DBMS_IR package)
• See Oracle's Critical Patch Update July 2022 for supported version status

Discovery Timeline

• 2022-07-19 - CVE-2022-21511 published to NVD as part of Oracle Critical Patch Update July 2022
• 2024-11-21 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2022-21511

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability resides in the Oracle Database Enterprise Edition Recovery component, specifically reachable through the DBMS_IR.EXECUTESQLSCRIPT procedure. An attacker must already possess the EXECUTE privilege on this package, classifying the issue as a privilege escalation or component takeover scenario rather than an unauthenticated remote flaw.

The attack vector is network-based over Oracle Net. The attack complexity is low, no user interaction is required, and the scope is unchanged. Confidentiality, integrity, and availability impacts are all high, reflecting complete control over the Recovery component once exploited.

The EPSS score stands at approximately 1.33% with an 80th percentile ranking, indicating moderate relative likelihood of exploitation activity compared to other CVEs. No public proof-of-concept is currently listed, and the issue is not present on CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.

Root Cause

The CWE category is listed as NVD-CWE-noinfo, meaning Oracle did not disclose specific weakness classification details. Based on the affected package, the root cause involves insufficient validation or privilege enforcement within DBMS_IR.EXECUTESQLSCRIPT, which executes SQL scripts as part of the Incident Recovery (IR) workflow. A user holding direct EXECUTE access on this procedure can leverage it to perform operations beyond intended recovery use cases.

Attack Vector

Exploitation requires:

• Authenticated access to the Oracle Database over Oracle Net
• High privileges, specifically EXECUTE ON DBMS_IR.EXECUTESQLSCRIPT
• No user interaction

The attacker invokes the vulnerable procedure remotely through standard Oracle Net connectivity. Because DBMS_IR.EXECUTESQLSCRIPT runs SQL scripts in the context of the Recovery component, abuse of the procedure leads to takeover of that component. Refer to the Oracle Critical Patch Update July 2022 for component-level technical guidance.

Detection Methods for CVE-2022-21511

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected calls to DBMS_IR.EXECUTESQLSCRIPT from non-administrative sessions
• Grants of EXECUTE on DBMS_IR to users outside of the database administrator role
• Unusual SQL script execution recorded against the Incident Recovery workflow

Detection Strategies

• Enable Oracle Database fine-grained auditing on the DBMS_IR package and its subprograms
• Review DBA_TAB_PRIVS for accounts holding EXECUTE on DBMS_IR.EXECUTESQLSCRIPT and validate business need
• Correlate Oracle Net listener logs with audit trail entries for DBMS_IR invocations

Monitoring Recommendations

• Ingest Oracle Database audit logs into a centralized SIEM for behavioral analysis of privileged package usage
• Alert on privilege grants targeting DBMS_IR or its subprograms
• Track session activity that combines DBMS_IR.EXECUTESQLSCRIPT calls with subsequent DDL or DCL statements

How to Mitigate CVE-2022-21511

Immediate Actions Required

• Apply the Oracle Critical Patch Update for July 2022 if running affected legacy versions
• Revoke EXECUTE ON DBMS_IR.EXECUTESQLSCRIPT from any account that does not require it for recovery operations
• Audit existing privilege assignments on the DBMS_IR package across all database instances
• Restrict Oracle Net access to the database listener using valid node checking and network ACLs

Patch Information

Oracle addressed this issue in the Oracle Critical Patch Update July 2022. Oracle's advisory states that none of the currently supported Oracle Database versions are affected by CVE-2022-21511. Customers running unsupported versions should upgrade to a supported, patched release.

Workarounds

• Limit DBMS_IR package privileges to database administrator accounts only
• Enforce least privilege across all PL/SQL packages that perform script execution
• Use Oracle Database Vault or equivalent controls to restrict privileged package use to defined realms
• Require strong authentication and network segmentation for all Oracle Net connections

# Example: review and revoke unintended grants on DBMS_IR.EXECUTESQLSCRIPT
sqlplus / as sysdba <<'SQL'
SELECT grantee, privilege
  FROM dba_tab_privs
 WHERE table_name = 'DBMS_IR';

REVOKE EXECUTE ON SYS.DBMS_IR FROM <unintended_user>;
SQL