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EssbaseApplication · Oracle

CVE-2023-21943

MEDIUM · 5.3 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-04-18
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
60/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges

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
Vulnerability in Oracle Essbase (component: Security and Provisioning). The supported version that is affected is 21.4. Difficult to exploit vulnerability allows unauthenticated attacker with network access via HTTP to compromise Oracle Essbase. Successful attacks require human interaction from a person other than the attacker. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized access to critical data or complete access to all Oracle Essbase accessible data. CVSS 3.1 Base Score 5.3 (Confidentiality impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N).

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 is an unauthenticated vulnerability in Oracle Essbase's Security and Provisioning component (version 21.4). Exploitable via HTTP over the network, it requires high attack complexity and human interaction from a victim (other than the attacker). Successful exploitation grants unauthorized access to critical data or complete access to all Essbase data, with high confidentiality impact but no integrity or availability impact.

MitigationApply Oracle's available patch for this vulnerability. Until patched, restrict network exposure to Essbase, implement strict access controls, and educate users about social engineering vectors given the human interaction requirement.

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
EssbaseApplication
Affected:= 21.4

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
High
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/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. Identify if Oracle Essbase is installed
    Check for Essbase installation directories (commonly under $ORACLE_HOME/essbase) or look for running processes containing 'essbase' in the process list using commands like 'ps -ef | grep -i essbase' or 'tasklist | findstr /i essbase'
    Affected if Oracle Essbase software is present on the system
  2. Determine the installed Essbase version
    Check the version of Oracle Essbase by examining version files in the installation directory (such as VERSION.txt, or run 'essbase --version' if available), or query the Essbase administration interface for version information
    Affected if The installed version is exactly 21.4
  3. Verify if HTTP administration interface is accessible
    Check if Essbase HTTP ports (default 9080, 9443, or configured ports) are listening and accessible by testing connectivity to the administration URLs such as http://hostname:port/essbase/
    Affected if HTTP-based administration or provisioning endpoints are exposed and accessible on the network
  4. Check if Security and Provisioning component is enabled
    Review Essbase configuration files (such as essbase.cfg or provisioning-related XML configuration files) to confirm whether the Security and Provisioning component is active and exposed via HTTP
    Affected if The Security and Provisioning component is enabled and accessible via HTTP without authentication

A user is affected if Oracle Essbase version 21.4 is installed with the Security and Provisioning component exposed via HTTP and accessible over the network.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply Oracle's available patch for this vulnerability. Until patched, restrict network exposure to Essbase, implement strict access controls, and educate users about social engineering vectors given the human interaction requirement.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Essbase 21.4 to a later 21.x version that includes the CVE-2023-21943 fix (consult Oracle Critical Patch Update for the specific fixed version)

  1. 1. Review the Oracle Critical Patch Update advisory for April 2023 (or the relevant CPU containing CVE-2023-21943) at oracle.com to confirm the exact fixed version or patch number
  2. 2. If a newer Essbase 21.x version with the security fix is available, download it from Oracle's official software delivery platform
  3. 3. Back up the existing Essbase configuration, applications, and data
  4. 4. Test the upgrade in a non-production environment first
  5. 5. Apply the upgrade during a planned maintenance window
  6. 6. Verify the Essbase services start correctly and security provisioning functions work as expected
  7. 7. Confirm the vulnerability is no longer present using Oracle's verification procedures or by reviewing the new version's security documentation
Caveat Review Oracle's upgrade documentation for Essbase 21.x to check for any configuration or compatibility changes between versions; test thoroughly in non-production first

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Essbase Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,490
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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-2023-21943 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data