CVE-2025-50067: Oracle APEX Auth Bypass Vulnerability

CVE-2025-50067 Overview

CVE-2025-50067 is a critical URL Redirection to Untrusted Site (Open Redirect) vulnerability affecting the Strategic Planner Starter App component of Oracle Application Express (APEX). This easily exploitable flaw allows a low-privileged attacker with network access via HTTP to compromise the application, potentially leading to complete system takeover when combined with social engineering techniques.

Critical Impact

Successful exploitation can result in complete takeover of Oracle Application Express, with scope change enabling significant impact to additional products. The vulnerability affects confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

Affected Products

• Oracle Application Express version 24.2.4
• Oracle Application Express version 24.2.5
• Strategic Planner Starter App component

Discovery Timeline

• July 15, 2025 - CVE-2025-50067 published to NVD
• July 24, 2025 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-50067

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-601 (URL Redirection to Untrusted Site), commonly known as an Open Redirect vulnerability. The flaw exists within the Strategic Planner Starter App component of Oracle Application Express, where user-controlled input is used to construct redirect URLs without proper validation.

The vulnerability requires low privileges and human interaction for successful exploitation, but critically enables scope change—meaning an attacker can leverage the compromised Oracle APEX instance to impact additional systems and products within the environment. This makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous in enterprise deployments where Oracle APEX is integrated with other business applications.

Root Cause

The root cause stems from insufficient validation of URL parameters within the Strategic Planner Starter App component. The application fails to properly sanitize or whitelist redirect destinations, allowing attackers to craft malicious URLs that redirect authenticated users to attacker-controlled sites. This enables credential theft, session hijacking, and delivery of malicious payloads while appearing to originate from a trusted Oracle domain.

Attack Vector

The attack is network-based and leverages HTTP protocol access to reach the vulnerable Oracle Application Express instance. An attacker crafts a specially designed URL containing a redirect parameter pointing to a malicious destination. When a victim with valid APEX credentials clicks the link (human interaction required), they are redirected through the legitimate Oracle APEX application to the attacker's site.

The scope change characteristic indicates that compromise extends beyond just the APEX application—attackers can potentially pivot to affect other integrated systems, steal session tokens valid across multiple applications, or use the trusted Oracle domain reputation to enhance phishing attacks against other organizational resources.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-50067

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual redirect parameters in Oracle APEX Strategic Planner Starter App URLs pointing to external domains
• Authentication attempts followed by rapid redirects to non-organizational domains
• User session tokens appearing in logs of external or untrusted systems
• Increased phishing reports from users who received links appearing to originate from legitimate Oracle APEX URLs

Detection Strategies

• Monitor HTTP logs for Strategic Planner Starter App requests containing redirect parameters with external URLs
• Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to detect and alert on open redirect patterns in Oracle APEX traffic
• Review proxy logs for outbound connections initiated immediately after Oracle APEX authentication events
• Deploy anomaly detection for unusual redirect patterns or destinations from the APEX application

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable detailed logging for the Oracle Application Express Strategic Planner Starter App component
• Configure alerts for redirect parameters containing external domain references
• Monitor for authentication events followed by unexpected external redirects within short time windows
• Establish baseline of normal redirect behavior to identify anomalous patterns

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-50067

Immediate Actions Required

• Apply the security patch referenced in the Oracle Security Alert July 2025 immediately
• Review Oracle APEX deployment configurations for the Strategic Planner Starter App component
• Conduct an audit of user activity logs to identify potential exploitation attempts
• Notify users about phishing risks associated with Oracle APEX URLs until patching is complete

Patch Information

Oracle has released security updates addressing this vulnerability as part of the July 2025 Critical Patch Update. Organizations running Oracle Application Express versions 24.2.4 or 24.2.5 should immediately apply the patches available through the Oracle Security Alert July 2025. The patch addresses the URL validation weakness in the Strategic Planner Starter App component.

Workarounds

• Implement WAF rules to block or sanitize redirect parameters pointing to external domains in Oracle APEX requests
• Restrict access to the Strategic Planner Starter App component to only essential users until patching is complete
• Deploy network-level controls to monitor and alert on suspicious redirect patterns from the Oracle APEX application
• Consider temporarily disabling the Strategic Planner Starter App if it is not business-critical