CVE-2026-62504: Oracle Time and Labor Auth Bypass Issue

CVE-2026-62504 Overview

CVE-2026-62504 is a high-severity access control vulnerability in the Oracle Time and Labor product of Oracle E-Business Suite. The flaw resides in the Internal Operations component and affects supported versions 12.2.3 through 12.2.15. An authenticated attacker with low privileges and network access via HTTP can exploit this vulnerability to compromise Oracle Time and Labor. Successful exploitation allows unauthorized creation, deletion, or modification of critical data, along with unauthorized read access to all Oracle Time and Labor accessible data. The vulnerability is mapped to CWE-284: Improper Access Control.

Critical Impact
A low-privileged, authenticated attacker with network access can read and modify all data accessible to Oracle Time and Labor, undermining the confidentiality and integrity of workforce, payroll, and time-tracking records.

Affected Products

Oracle E-Business Suite - Oracle Time and Labor version 12.2.3
Oracle E-Business Suite - Oracle Time and Labor versions 12.2.4 through 12.2.14
Oracle E-Business Suite - Oracle Time and Labor version 12.2.15

Discovery Timeline

2026-07-21 - CVE-2026-62504 published to NVD as part of the Oracle Critical Patch Update advisory
2026-07-22 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-62504

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability exists in the Internal Operations component of Oracle Time and Labor, a workforce time-tracking module within Oracle E-Business Suite. The defect enables an authenticated user with low privileges to perform actions outside their authorized scope. Because the attack vector is network-based over HTTP and requires no user interaction, exploitation can be automated once a low-privileged account is available.

The impact spans two of the three CIA properties. Confidentiality is compromised because an attacker gains complete read access to Oracle Time and Labor data. Integrity is compromised because the same attacker can create, delete, or modify critical data. Availability is not directly impacted according to the CVSS vector.

In a typical Oracle E-Business Suite deployment, Time and Labor data feeds payroll, project accounting, and human capital management workflows. Unauthorized modification of these records can cascade into downstream financial and compliance issues.

Root Cause

The underlying weakness is classified as [CWE-284: Improper Access Control]. The Internal Operations component does not sufficiently enforce authorization checks on requests made by authenticated users. As a result, the application processes privileged operations on behalf of accounts that lack the necessary entitlements.

Attack Vector

Exploitation requires network reachability to the Oracle E-Business Suite HTTP endpoint and valid low-privileged credentials. The attacker sends crafted HTTP requests to the vulnerable Internal Operations functionality of Oracle Time and Labor. The server processes these requests without validating whether the requesting principal is authorized for the target data or operation. No user interaction is required, and the attack complexity is low, which makes the vulnerability practical to weaponize.

No public proof-of-concept or exploit code is currently referenced in NVD or the Oracle advisory. See the Oracle Security Alert July 2026 for authoritative vendor guidance.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-62504

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected HTTP requests to Oracle Time and Labor Internal Operations URLs originating from low-privileged EBS accounts.
Unauthorized create, update, or delete operations against Time and Labor tables outside of normal business hours.
Anomalous timecard, project, or accrual record modifications that do not correlate with an approved workflow.
Session activity from EBS accounts that suddenly access modules or datasets outside their historical baseline.

Detection Strategies

Enable and centralize Oracle E-Business Suite application-tier and database audit logs, focusing on Time and Labor schemas.
Baseline normal HTTP request patterns to /OA_HTML/ and Time and Labor endpoints, then alert on deviations by user, volume, or verb.
Correlate EBS FND user activity with database DML events on Time and Labor tables to spot privilege mismatches.
Deploy a web application firewall in front of EBS to log and inspect requests targeting Internal Operations paths.

Monitoring Recommendations

Continuously monitor EBS application logs for authorization failures followed by successful requests from the same session.
Alert on bulk modifications or deletions in Time and Labor tables performed by non-administrative accounts.
Review Oracle FND_LOGIN and FND_UNSUCCESSFUL_LOGINS data for credential-stuffing patterns that could precede exploitation.

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-62504

Immediate Actions Required

Apply the fixes from the Oracle Critical Patch Update - July 2026 to all Oracle E-Business Suite environments running versions 12.2.3 through 12.2.15.
Inventory all EBS instances that expose Oracle Time and Labor, including non-production copies, and prioritize patching those reachable from untrusted networks.
Rotate credentials for low-privileged EBS accounts that could be leveraged as an initial foothold.
Review recent Time and Labor data changes for unauthorized creations, deletions, or modifications.

Patch Information

Oracle addressed CVE-2026-62504 in the July 2026 Critical Patch Update. Administrators should download and apply the patches referenced for Oracle E-Business Suite 12.2.3-12.2.15 in the Oracle Security Alert July 2026. Follow Oracle's documented pre- and post-patch steps and validate the patch level with adop and AutoConfig before returning the environment to production use.

Workarounds

Restrict network access to the EBS HTTP tier so that only trusted corporate networks or VPN clients can reach Time and Labor endpoints.
Enforce least privilege on EBS responsibilities and remove Time and Labor entitlements from users who do not require them.
Require multi-factor authentication in front of EBS via reverse proxy or SSO to raise the cost of acquiring low-privileged credentials.
Increase audit logging retention for EBS application and database tiers until the patch is confirmed in place.

bash

# Example: verify current EBS patch level and identify Time and Labor module version
sqlplus apps/<password> <<EOF
SELECT application_short_name, patch_level
FROM   fnd_product_installations fpi,
       fnd_application fa
WHERE  fpi.application_id = fa.application_id
AND    fa.application_short_name IN ('HXT','PAY','PER');
EXIT;
EOF

# Apply the July 2026 CPU patch using adop (example - substitute actual patch number from MOS)
$ adop phase=apply patches=<CPUJUL2026_PATCH_ID> workers=8
$ adop phase=finalize,cutover,cleanup