CVE-2024-20917: Oracle Enterprise Manager Auth Bypass Flaw

CVE-2024-20917 Overview

CVE-2024-20917 is a vulnerability in the Log Management component of Oracle Enterprise Manager Base Platform version 13.5.0.0. An unauthenticated attacker with network access via HTTP can compromise the platform, though exploitation requires human interaction from a user other than the attacker. The vulnerability produces a scope change, meaning successful attacks can affect additional Oracle products beyond the vulnerable component. Oracle addressed this issue in the January 2024 Critical Patch Update.

Critical Impact
Successful exploitation can result in unauthorized access to all Oracle Enterprise Manager Base Platform data, unauthorized modification of some data, and partial denial of service across connected Oracle products.

Affected Products

Oracle Enterprise Manager Base Platform 13.5.0.0
Oracle Enterprise Manager Log Management component
Downstream Oracle products connected to the affected platform (scope change)

Discovery Timeline

2024-01-16 - Oracle releases January 2024 Critical Patch Update addressing CVE-2024-20917
2024-02-17 - CVE-2024-20917 published to NVD
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-20917

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability resides in the Log Management component of Oracle Enterprise Manager Base Platform 13.5.0.0. Oracle classifies the issue as difficult to exploit and requires user interaction from a party other than the attacker. Despite the difficulty, the impact is significant because a successful attack changes scope, extending consequences beyond the vulnerable component to other Oracle products managed through the platform.

Oracle Enterprise Manager Base Platform serves as a management framework for databases, middleware, and applications. Compromise of this management tier grants attackers a privileged foothold across managed infrastructure. Confidentiality impact is rated high, while integrity and availability impacts are rated low, with an EPSS probability of 0.378% (percentile 29.6).

Root Cause

Oracle has not publicly disclosed the underlying flaw class, and the CWE is recorded as NVD-CWE-noinfo. Based on the CVSS metrics, the vulnerability is triggered over HTTP without authentication but requires an authenticated user to perform an action such as clicking a link or loading a resource. This pattern is consistent with client-side interaction flaws in a web-facing management console.

Attack Vector

An attacker delivers a crafted HTTP request or resource that a legitimate Oracle Enterprise Manager user must interact with. Because the vulnerability produces a scope change, actions executed in the context of the interacting user can reach beyond the Log Management component into other managed products. No credentials are required for the attacker, but the attack complexity is high, indicating that successful exploitation depends on specific conditions being met.

No public proof-of-concept has been published, and the vulnerability is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. For technical specifics, refer to the Oracle Critical Patch Update January 2024.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-20917

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected HTTP requests to the Oracle Enterprise Manager Log Management endpoints from external or unusual internal sources
Log Management activity performed by user sessions immediately after those users clicked external links or opened untrusted content
Configuration or log-record changes in Enterprise Manager that correlate with sessions of interactive users rather than scheduled jobs

Detection Strategies

Baseline normal administrator activity on the Enterprise Manager console and alert on deviations, especially cross-component actions initiated shortly after external navigation events
Inspect web access logs for requests to Log Management URLs originating from Referer values outside the trusted management network
Correlate authentication events, HTTP requests, and downstream Oracle product changes to identify scope-change activity chains

Monitoring Recommendations

Forward Oracle Enterprise Manager access logs, audit logs, and reverse-proxy logs to a centralized analytics platform for retention and correlation
Monitor for privilege-sensitive operations performed within a short interval after a user session begins
Alert on unauthorized changes to log configuration, retention policies, or agent settings in Enterprise Manager

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-20917

Immediate Actions Required

Apply the January 2024 Oracle Critical Patch Update to all Oracle Enterprise Manager Base Platform 13.5.0.0 deployments
Restrict network access to the Enterprise Manager console so that only trusted administrative networks can reach HTTP endpoints
Instruct administrators to avoid opening untrusted links or content while authenticated to Enterprise Manager

Patch Information

Oracle released a fix as part of the January 2024 Critical Patch Update. Administrators should consult the Oracle Critical Patch Update January 2024 advisory for exact patch identifiers, prerequisite bundles, and post-installation validation steps for Enterprise Manager 13.5.0.0.

Workarounds

Place the Enterprise Manager console behind a reverse proxy or VPN that enforces strict source-IP allowlisting
Enforce short session lifetimes and require re-authentication for sensitive operations to reduce the window for user-interaction attacks
Separate administrative browsing from general-purpose browsing by using dedicated workstations or browser profiles for Enterprise Manager access

bash

# Verify installed Oracle Enterprise Manager patches after applying CPU January 2024
$ORACLE_HOME/OPatch/opatch lspatches
$ORACLE_HOME/OPatch/opatch lsinventory -detail | grep -i "January 2024"