CVE-2014-2058 in Jenkins
Summary
by MITRE
BuildTrigger in CloudBees Jenkins before 1.551 and LTS before 1.532.2 allows remote authenticated users to bypass access restrictions and execute arbitrary jobs by configuring a job to trigger another job. NOTE: this vulnerability exists because of an incomplete fix for CVE-2013-7330.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/30/2022
The vulnerability described in CVE-2014-2058 represents a critical access control flaw in CloudBees Jenkins prior to specific patch versions. This issue affects both the standard Jenkins releases and the Long Term Support (LTS) versions, highlighting the widespread nature of the vulnerability within the Jenkins ecosystem. The flaw specifically resides in the BuildTrigger functionality, which is a core component that enables jobs to automatically trigger other jobs based on specific conditions or events. The vulnerability was particularly concerning because it represented an incomplete remediation of a previously identified security issue, as noted in the CVE description that references CVE-2013-7330.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of job trigger configurations within the Jenkins access control system. When authenticated users configure job triggers to initiate other jobs, the system fails to properly verify whether the triggering user has adequate permissions to execute the target job. This permission bypass occurs during the job triggering process, allowing malicious or unauthorized users to leverage legitimate job trigger functionality to execute jobs they would normally not have access to. The flaw essentially permits privilege escalation through the legitimate job triggering mechanism, creating a backdoor for unauthorized execution of potentially sensitive or privileged operations within the Jenkins environment.
From an operational standpoint, this vulnerability poses significant risks to organizations relying on Jenkins for continuous integration and deployment processes. Attackers with valid but limited Jenkins accounts can exploit this flaw to execute arbitrary jobs that may contain malicious code, access sensitive build artifacts, or perform operations that could compromise the integrity of the entire CI/CD pipeline. The impact extends beyond simple unauthorized access, as these triggered jobs might have elevated privileges or access to external systems, databases, or sensitive environments. The vulnerability essentially transforms legitimate automation capabilities into potential attack vectors, undermining the security assumptions of the Jenkins access control model and potentially enabling further exploitation or lateral movement within the infrastructure.
The remediation for this vulnerability requires immediate patching of Jenkins installations to versions 1.551 or LTS 1.532.2 and later, which contain the proper fixes for both CVE-2014-2058 and its precursor CVE-2013-7330. Organizations should also conduct thorough audits of their Jenkins job configurations to identify any potentially compromised trigger relationships and review access controls to ensure proper least privilege principles are enforced. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-284, which addresses improper access control, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1059.001 for execution through command and script interpreters, as the compromised jobs may execute malicious commands. Security teams should also consider implementing additional monitoring of job trigger activities and establishing more robust access control policies for job configurations to prevent similar issues from arising in the future.