Database ServerDatabase / datastore · Oracle

CVE-2008-1816

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v2.0 Published 2008-04-16
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
61/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
Multiple unspecified vulnerabilities in Oracle Database 10.1.0.5 and 10.2.0.3 have unknown impact and remote authenticated attack vectors related to (1) SDO_UTIL in the Oracle Spatial component, aka DB05; or (2) fine grained auditing in the Audit component, aka DB14. NOTE: the previous information was obtained from the Oracle CPU. Oracle has not commented on reliable researcher claims that DB05 is SQL injection.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · moderate confidence

This CVE addresses two distinct vulnerabilities in Oracle Database 10g (versions 10.1.0.5 and 10.2.0.3): an SQL injection vulnerability in the SDO_UTIL function within the Oracle Spatial component (DB05), and an unspecified vulnerability in fine-grained auditing within the Audit component (DB14). Both require remote authenticated access for exploitation.

MitigationApply the relevant Oracle Critical Patch Update (CPU) for this CVE. Additionally, review and sanitize all SQL queries that utilize SDO_UTIL functions, and verify that fine-grained auditing configurations are properly secured.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Database ServerDatabase / datastore
Affected:= 10.1.0.5= 10.2.0.3

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Authentication
Single
Confidentiality
Partial
Integrity
Partial
Availability
None

AV:N/AC:L/Au:S/C:P/I:P/A:N

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check Oracle Database version
    Execute: SELECT VERSION FROM PRODUCT_COMPONENT_VERSION WHERE PRODUCT LIKE 'Oracle%';
    Affected if version equals 10.1.0.5 or 10.2.0.3 exactly
  2. Verify Oracle Spatial component is installed
    Execute: SELECT OWNER, OBJECT_NAME FROM ALL_OBJECTS WHERE OBJECT_NAME LIKE 'SDO_UTIL%' AND OBJECT_TYPE IN ('FUNCTION','PROCEDURE','PACKAGE');
    Affected if SDO_UTIL objects exist in the database (component DB05 is present)
  3. Check if SDO_UTIL functions are accessible to application users
    Review grants on SDO_UTIL objects: SELECT GRANTEE, TABLE_NAME, PRIVILEGE FROM DBA_TAB_PRIVS WHERE TABLE_NAME LIKE 'SDO_UTIL%';
    Affected if non-privileged users or application schemas have EXECUTE grants on SDO_UTIL
  4. Check fine-grained auditing policies
    Execute: SELECT POLICY_NAME, AUDIT_TRAIL, ENABLED FROM DBA_AUDIT_POLICIES;
    Affected if fine-grained auditing (DB14) policies are enabled or configured
  5. Verify remote network listener is enabled
    Check listener status: lsnrctl status or check LISTENER in V$LISTENER; also verify REMOTE_OS_AUTHENT parameter: SELECT VALUE FROM V$PARAMETER WHERE NAME='remote_os_authent';
    Affected if database accepts remote connections and REMOTE_OS_AUTHENT is set to TRUE or listener is exposed to network

Environment is affected only if Oracle Database version is exactly 10.1.0.5 or 10.2.0.3 AND either Oracle Spatial with SDO_UTIL is accessible to authenticated users or fine-grained auditing is in use, and the database is accessible to remote authenticated attackers.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply the relevant Oracle Critical Patch Update (CPU) for this CVE. Additionally, review and sanitize all SQL queries that utilize SDO_UTIL functions, and verify that fine-grained auditing configurations are properly secured.

Fix this in Database Server Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation16.0 h
  • Testing16.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
44.0 hours of engineering $7,600
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Scan for this in your stack

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dbcve dependency scanner

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2008-1816 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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