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Drive-By Attack Vector Patched in Oracle Code Editor

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Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Flaw Enabled Malicious File Uploads, Researchers Found

Mathew J. Schwartz (euroinfosec) •
July 16, 2025    

Drive-By Attack Vector Patched in Oracle Code Editor
Researchers at Tenable found that Oracle’s console-based Code Editor tool failed to block arbitrary file uploads, and could be silently exploited via drive-by attacks to install malware. (Image: Shutterstock)

Exploring Oracle Cloud Infrastructure’s Cloud Shell capabilities, researchers found that Oracle’s tightly integrated Code Editor could be silently exploited via drive-by attacks to install malware.

See Also: On Demand | From Patch to Prevention: Modernizing Remediation Across Hybrid Environments

Vulnerability management provider Tenable on Wednesday said it discovered and reported the critical remote code execution vulnerability to Oracle, adding that it’s now been fixed and users are protected.

Even so, the discovery highlights an ongoing challenge pertaining to feature-rich, modern cloud environments, said veteran bug hunter Liv Matan, a senior security researcher at Tenable Research. “Integrations aren’t just conveniences, they’re potential points for vulnerabilities,” he said.

Widely used Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, or OCI, provides users with more than 150 cloud services, ranging from containers and storage to VMware and artificial intelligence. Thousands of businesses as well as numerous governments use OCI, including Deloitte Consulting, GE Appliances, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Xerox and the Liaison Office of the European Parliament in Belgium, among many others.

Built into OCI is Cloud Shell, a full, browser-based Linux terminal, accessible through the Oracle Cloud Console that provides access to developer tools, including Git and Java, as well as preinstalled language runtimes.

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Studying OCI, the researchers found that Cloud Shell appeared to be very well secured.

The same wasn’t true for Code Editor, which Oracle describes as being “a console-based code-editing tool that requires no infrastructure setup or installation and can be launched from anywhere within OCI console, supported services and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Cloud Shell.” The tool includes integrations with multiple core OCI services, including Resource Manager, Functions and Data Science, as well as Git integration.

“Code Editor is often treated by researchers and users as a sandboxed, isolated space, but its deep interface with Resource Manager, Functions and Data Science suggests otherwise,” said Matan in a research report released Wednesday.

Hence the researchers investigated this simple-sounding question pertaining to Code Editor: “If a developer can upload files easily, can an attacker?”

The answer turned out to be affirmative. While Cloud Shell appeared to carefully screen any and all uploads, the browser-based Code Editor “exposed a /file-upload endpoint that lacked cross-site request forgery – CSRF – defenses,” Matan said. “This misalignment opened the door to remote file manipulation via crafted cross-site requests.”

As the researchers demonstrated in a proof-of-concept exploit shared with Oracle, “an attacker could create a webpage that, when visited by an authenticated Oracle Cloud Infrastructure user, would upload a malicious file to their Cloud Editor without their knowledge.” Since Code Editor was built atop the Cloud Shell file system, this file upload would go directly to a victim’s Cloud Shell, allowing them to remotely execute code.

Because the Code Editor could affect the Cloud Shell file system, attackers could also exploit the flaw to reach other integrated services.

“Attackers can also tamper with files used by Resource Manager, Functions or Data Science services, all of which rely on this shared environment,” Matan said. “For instance, injecting malicious code into a deployed Function or modifying the Resource Manager workspace can lead to broader compromise across OCI services. In essence, what begins as a simple CSRF exploit targeting file uploads on Cloud Shell quickly escalates into a multi-surface threat, compromising not just the shell, but the full suite of developer tools around it.”

Oracle’s fix has been to add CSRF protection by adding a custom HTTP header named x-csrf-token with the value csrf-value to ensure “that only authorized, properly formed requests generated from within the authenticated Oracle Cloud environment are accepted by the server,” Matan said. “Without this header, requests are rejected, effectively mitigating the previously exploitable behavior.”

This fix safeguards against CSRF because, as Mozilla notes, “for security reasons, browsers restrict cross-origin HTTP requests initiated from scripts,” including JavaScript, meaning that a different origin cannot set custom headers, unless the target server has been set to explicitly permit this capability via cross-origin resource sharing, or CORS.

Tenable said the Oracle flaw stands as the latest in a long line of layered security problems in cloud environments. Securing cloud environments is like a game of Jenga, Tenable said, in which players remove blocks from the bottom and place them on top, aiming to not be the one who loses by sending the tower crashing down (see: Google Cloud Fix Blocks Unauthorized Container Access).

“Cloud services are like blocks,” Matan said. “If one service is compromised, the other services built on top of it inherit the risk and vulnerability.”





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    Automating Security Auditing and Compliance

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    Deploying Automated Data Backups and Recovery

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    Educating Employees with Security Awareness Training

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    The Vital Role of Ethical Hackers in Cybersecurity

    The role of an ethical hacker is vital within the cybersecurity industry. Armed with a wealth of knowledge and experience, these experts embark on a noble quest: to uncover vulnerabilities and safeguard the integrity of digital systems. Their mission? To perform risk assessments and test the foundations of security in organizations.

    To achieve their goal, ethical hackers immerse themselves in the expanse of security breaches, exploits, and vulnerability scenarios. They leave no stone unturned. Their goal is to protect organizations from malicious attacks, ensuring that the digital fortress remains untouchable.

    Don't underestimate the importance of ethical hacking. As the world becomes increasingly interconnected, cybersecurity has never been more pressing. According to a report by Emergen Research, the cybersecurity industry is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.0% to 13.4% from 2022 to 2030. This surge in demand reflects the critical importance of ethical hackers in fortifying digital infrastructure against the relentless onslaught of cyber threats.

    Embracing the Journey: Continuous Learning and Certification for Ethical Hackers

    Becoming an ethical hacker requires diverse skills and knowledge. Understanding the types of hackers is crucial, as it provides insights into how they operate. Armed with this knowledge, ethical hackers delve into cutting-edge tools and techniques. They leverage their skills to identify vulnerabilities and devise countermeasures.

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    The Tools of Ethical Hacking

    Curious about the tools an ethical hacker uses? They have access to a diverse range of tools. These tools allow them to probe and analyze digital systems, uncover weaknesses, and assess the resilience of security measures. While the specific tools vary based on the objectives and preferences of individual ethical hackers, there are several standard tools they employ. 

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    Another essential tool in the ethical hacker's arsenal is Metasploit. Metasploit is an open-source framework that facilitates penetration testing and vulnerability assessment. It offers a wide range of exploits, payloads, and auxiliary modules, empowering ethical hackers to simulate real-world attack scenarios. Employing Metasploit's extensive collection of exploit codes, ethical hackers can uncover weaknesses, gain unauthorized access, and assess the system's defenses against potential threats.

    WireShark, a network protocol analyzer, is another indispensable tool for ethical hackers. It allows them to capture and examine network traffic, providing deep insights into the packets traversing the network. With WireShark, ethical hackers can scrutinize individual packets, analyze network protocols, and identify suspicious or malicious activity. This tool enables them to detect anomalies, trace the origin of potential security breaches, and assess the security posture of the network.

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    References:

    "Cybersecurity Market, By Component (Hardware, Solution, Service), By Security Type, By Solution, By Application (IT & Telecom, Retail, BFSI, Healthcare, Defense & Government, Manufacturing, Energy, Others), By Region Forecast to 2032". Www.Emergenresearch.Com, 2023, https://www.emergenresearch.com/industry-report/cyber-security-market. Accessed 25 May 2023.

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    Cyber Insurance: An Essential Safety Net

    Like any insurance, cyber insurance covers financial losses related to cyber incidents. This can include costs associated with data recovery, notification of affected parties, legal fees, public relations efforts, business interruption, and even extortion payments demanded by hackers. In essence, cyber insurance is designed to help a company recover from a cyber attack by mitigating the financial impact. It provides an essential safety net that can make the difference between a company going out of business and staying afloat after a cyber-attack.

    Coverage Tailored to Your Business

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    The Rising Importance of Cyber Insurance

    Cyber insurance is growing in importance as businesses become more digital and data-driven. It's not just about whether your business will experience a cyber-attack, but when it will happen. Data privacy laws are becoming more stringent, which means businesses can face hefty fines for failing to adequately protect customer data. Cyber liability insurance can provide coverage for these regulatory fines.

    Cyber Insurance - An Investment Worth Making

    Investing in cyber insurance is like putting on a seatbelt while driving. It doesn't prevent an accident, but it can significantly mitigate the damage if one occurs. Cyber insurance is an essential part of a comprehensive risk management strategy, providing financial protection and peace of mind in a digital age fraught with cyber threats. Regardless of your business size or industry, having cyber insurance can help you navigate the aftermath of a cyber-attack by protecting your financial resources.

    PSL’s Easy Guide to Understanding Cybersecurity

    The world of cybersecurity can often feel like a maze of technobabble and obscure acronyms. Yet in an era where our lives increasingly depend on digital infrastructure, it's important to have a basic understanding of the terminology involved. Learning about cybersecurity can help you avoid common mistakes and limit the chance of becoming a victim of these crimes.

    Here is an overview of common cybersecurity terms.

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    Let's start with the basics. Cybersecurity is simply the defense against digital attacks that target computers, mobile devices, networks, and servers. These attacks are typically aimed at accessing, changing, or destroying sensitive information, extorting money from users, or interrupting normal business processes.

    2) Malware

    Malware is any malicious software that can damage or infiltrate computers without the user's consent.

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    Virus

    Like a biological virus, a computer virus attaches itself to a host (in this case, a file), and spreads when the file is shared, infecting other files and systems.

    Worm

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    Trojan

    Named after the Greek myth, the Trojan horse, a Trojan is a form of malware that attempts to disguise itself as a normal program or file to trick users into either downloading or installing it.

    Ransomware

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    Spyware

    Spyware is malware that's specifically designed to spy on user activity without their knowledge.

    3) Phishing

    Phishing is a common attack that tries to gain personal information by using deceptive emails and websites. The attacker, masquerading as a trustworthy entity, uses a variety of strategies to trick the victim into opening an instant message, email, or text message.

    4) Firewall

    A firewall is an IT security tool that controls network traffic using predetermined security rules. Think of it as a digital barrier limiting unauthorized access to your network or computer.

    5) VPN (Virtual Private Network)

    A VPN masks your internet protocol (IP) address to make your online actions nearly untraceable. VPN services establish encrypted connections to provide much greater privacy while using the internet.

    6) Encryption

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    7) Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)

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    8) Darknet/Dark Web

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    9) Data Breach

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    10) Botnet

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    Closing Thoughts

    Understanding cybersecurity is not just for the tech-savvy; it's for everyone. We are all potential targets for cyber threats, and comprehension of basic cybersecurity terminology can make a significant difference in safeguarding ourselves and our digital assets.

    Employing cybersecurity measures also helps to keep your digital data safe. This might include using a VPN, enabling two-factor authentication, or simply being wary of suspicious emails to prevent phishing attacks.

    Ultimately, it's not necessary for everyone to be a cybersecurity expert, but a basic understanding of the key terms can be an empowering first step in better securing your digital life. This newfound knowledge can provide you the confidence to navigate the online world with more safety and assurance.