CVE-2015-1807 in Jenkins
Summary
by MITRE
Directory traversal vulnerability in CloudBees Jenkins before 1.600 and LTS before 1.596.1 allows remote authenticated users with certain permissions to read arbitrary files via a symlink, related to building artifacts.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/22/2022
The vulnerability CVE-2015-1807 represents a directory traversal flaw in CloudBees Jenkins versions prior to 1.600 and LTS versions prior to 1.596.1. This security weakness specifically affects the handling of symbolic links during artifact building processes, creating a significant risk for authenticated attackers who possess certain permissions within the Jenkins environment. The vulnerability falls under the CWE-22 category, which defines path traversal or directory traversal attacks that allow attackers to access files outside the intended directory structure through manipulation of file paths.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability exploits the improper validation of symbolic links when processing build artifacts in Jenkins. Attackers with sufficient privileges can create or manipulate symbolic links that point to sensitive files outside the intended build directories. When Jenkins processes these symbolic links during artifact generation or retrieval, it follows the symbolic link paths without proper sanitization, allowing access to arbitrary files on the underlying file system. This flaw specifically manifests during the artifact building phase where Jenkins attempts to resolve and package build outputs, creating an attack surface that bypasses normal access controls and file system boundaries.
The operational impact of CVE-2015-1807 is substantial for organizations relying on Jenkins for continuous integration and deployment processes. An authenticated attacker with permissions to trigger builds or manage artifacts can potentially access sensitive information including source code repositories, configuration files, credential stores, and other system files that should remain protected. This vulnerability directly impacts the principle of least privilege and can lead to data breaches, intellectual property theft, and system compromise. The attack vector requires only authentication and specific permissions rather than administrative access, making it particularly dangerous in environments where multiple developers or teams have varying levels of access to Jenkins instances.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately upgrade to Jenkins versions 1.600 or LTS 1.596.1 and later, which contain patches addressing the symbolic link handling during artifact processing. Security administrators should also implement additional monitoring for suspicious artifact building activities and review user permissions to ensure that only necessary individuals have access to build and artifact management functions. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1213.002 which involves data from information repositories, and represents a critical weakness in Jenkins' file system access controls that can be exploited by attackers who have already gained some level of access to the system. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify and remediate similar path traversal vulnerabilities in other CI/CD tools and applications within the organization's infrastructure.