CVE-2015-1813 in Jenkins
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in CloudBees Jenkins before 1.606 and LTS before 1.596.2 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unspecified vectors, a different vulnerability than CVE-2015-1812.
Be aware that VulDB is the high quality source for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/22/2022
The cross-site scripting vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-1813 affects CloudBees Jenkins versions prior to 1.606 and LTS versions prior to 1.596.2, representing a critical security flaw that enables remote attackers to execute malicious web scripts or HTML code within the context of affected systems. This vulnerability specifically impacts the Jenkins continuous integration and delivery platform, which is widely deployed across enterprise environments for automating software development processes. The flaw resides in the application's handling of user-supplied input within unspecified vectors, creating an attack surface that allows malicious actors to bypass normal security controls and inject harmful code into web pages viewed by other users. Unlike CVE-2015-1812 which addressed a different set of XSS vectors, CVE-2015-1813 represents a distinct vulnerability requiring separate remediation efforts. The technical implementation of this flaw suggests that Jenkins fails to properly sanitize or encode user input before rendering it in web responses, creating opportunities for attackers to exploit the platform's web interface and potentially gain unauthorized access to sensitive system information or manipulate user sessions.
The operational impact of CVE-2015-1813 extends beyond simple script injection, as it can enable attackers to perform a range of malicious activities including session hijacking, data theft, and privilege escalation within the Jenkins environment. Attackers leveraging this vulnerability can craft malicious payloads that appear legitimate to users, making detection more challenging and potentially allowing for prolonged unauthorized access to build servers and associated resources. The vulnerability particularly affects organizations that rely heavily on Jenkins for automated builds, deployments, and continuous integration workflows, where compromised systems could lead to supply chain attacks, code injection into production environments, or unauthorized access to sensitive development artifacts and credentials stored within the Jenkins instance. Security teams must consider that Jenkins serves as a central hub for software development activities, making it an attractive target for attackers seeking to compromise entire development pipelines and potentially gain access to source code repositories or production deployment systems.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigation strategies including upgrading to patched versions of Jenkins, specifically versions 1.606 or later for the main release and 1.596.2 or later for LTS releases, as these versions contain the necessary fixes to address the XSS vulnerability. Additionally, administrators should review and enhance input validation mechanisms, implement proper output encoding for all user-supplied content, and deploy web application firewalls to monitor and filter suspicious traffic patterns. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in web applications, and represents a technique commonly referenced in ATT&CK framework under T1190 for exploiting web application vulnerabilities. Security monitoring should include detection of suspicious script injection patterns and anomalous user behavior that might indicate exploitation attempts. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to ensure that all Jenkins instances within the organization remain protected against similar vulnerabilities, with particular attention to maintaining updated security configurations and implementing least privilege access controls for Jenkins users and administrators.