CVE-2015-5324 in Jenkins
Summary
by MITRE
CloudBees Jenkins before 1.638 and LTS before 1.625.2 allow remote attackers to obtain sensitive information via a direct request to queue/api.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/27/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-5324 represents a critical information disclosure flaw within CloudBees Jenkins continuous integration platform. This vulnerability affects versions prior to 1.638 for standard releases and 1.625.2 for long term support releases, exposing systems to unauthorized data access through a specific API endpoint. The flaw manifests when attackers can directly request the queue/api endpoint without proper authentication or authorization checks, potentially allowing them to extract sensitive operational data from the Jenkins environment.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient access controls within the Jenkins queue API endpoint. When a user makes a direct request to the queue/api path, the system fails to validate whether the requester possesses appropriate privileges to access this information. This represents a classic authorization bypass issue that falls under the CWE-284 access control weakness category. The queue API typically contains information about pending build jobs, which may include project names, build parameters, and potentially sensitive configuration details that could aid attackers in planning further attacks against the Jenkins infrastructure.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as the exposed data could provide attackers with valuable reconnaissance information for subsequent exploitation attempts. Jenkins queue information often reveals active projects, build schedules, and potentially sensitive parameters that could be leveraged to craft targeted attacks against specific build processes or to identify other system components that might be vulnerable. This information disclosure can significantly aid attackers in understanding the Jenkins environment structure and planning more sophisticated attacks that align with the actual operational context of the system.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately implement the recommended patches to upgrade to versions 1.638 or higher for standard releases, and 1.625.2 or higher for LTS releases. The mitigation strategy should also include implementing additional network-level controls such as firewall rules to restrict access to the queue/api endpoint, particularly from untrusted networks. Security teams should also consider implementing web application firewalls that can detect and block unauthorized access attempts to sensitive API endpoints. From a defensive perspective, this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1083 (File and Directory Discovery) and T1592 (Gather Victim Host Information) as it enables attackers to collect system information through automated means. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper API endpoint security and reinforces the principle that all system interfaces should implement robust access control mechanisms regardless of their perceived sensitivity level.