CVE-2013-0328 in Jenkins
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in CloudBees Jenkins before 1.502 and LTS before 1.480.3 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/01/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2013-0328 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within CloudBees Jenkins continuous integration platform. This security weakness affects Jenkins versions prior to 1.502 and Long Term Support releases before 1.480.3, creating a significant attack surface for remote threat actors seeking to compromise web applications built on this platform. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the Jenkins web interface, allowing malicious users to inject arbitrary web scripts or HTML content into the application's response streams.
The technical implementation of this XSS vulnerability occurs through unspecified vectors within the Jenkins application's handling of user-supplied input data. Attackers can exploit this flaw by crafting malicious payloads that, when processed by the vulnerable Jenkins instances, get executed within the context of other users' browsers. The vulnerability specifically targets the web application's user interface components where user input is rendered without proper sanitization or encoding, creating opportunities for attackers to execute malicious JavaScript code in the victim's browser context. This flaw operates at the application layer and leverages the trust relationship between the web application and its users, making it particularly dangerous for environments where Jenkins serves as a central automation platform.
The operational impact of CVE-2013-0328 extends beyond simple script injection, potentially enabling attackers to perform session hijacking, steal sensitive credentials, redirect users to malicious websites, or execute unauthorized administrative actions within the Jenkins environment. Organizations running vulnerable Jenkins instances face risks of data exfiltration, privilege escalation, and complete compromise of their continuous integration infrastructure. The vulnerability affects not only individual user sessions but can also compromise the integrity of the entire build and deployment pipeline, as Jenkins often handles sensitive configuration data, source code access controls, and deployment credentials. This makes the impact particularly severe in enterprise environments where Jenkins serves as a critical component of software development and delivery processes.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability primarily involve immediate patching of affected Jenkins installations to versions 1.502 or higher for standard releases and 1.480.3 or higher for LTS releases. Organizations should also implement additional defensive measures including web application firewalls, input validation rules, and comprehensive output encoding mechanisms to reduce the attack surface. Security teams should conduct thorough vulnerability assessments of their Jenkins environments and implement proper access controls to limit the potential impact of any successful exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in web applications, and represents a classic example of how inadequate input sanitization can create persistent security weaknesses in enterprise software platforms. Organizations should also consider implementing the principle of least privilege and regular security audits to prevent unauthorized access to Jenkins configurations and build artifacts that could exacerbate the impact of such vulnerabilities.