CVE-2015-7538 in Jenkins
Summary
by MITRE
CloudBees Jenkins before 1.640 and LTS before 1.625.2 allow remote attackers to bypass the CSRF protection mechanism via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/06/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-7538 represents a critical security flaw in CloudBees Jenkins versions prior to 1.640 and LTS versions prior to 1.625.2. This issue specifically targets the Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) protection mechanism that is fundamental to web application security. The vulnerability allows remote attackers to bypass the CSRF protection, potentially enabling them to perform unauthorized actions on behalf of authenticated users without their knowledge or consent.
The technical flaw in this vulnerability stems from weaknesses in how Jenkins handles CSRF token validation and session management. While the exact unspecified vectors are not detailed in the CVE entry, such bypasses typically occur when the application fails to properly validate CSRF tokens or when the protection mechanisms can be circumvented through carefully crafted requests. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery issues in software applications. The flaw essentially allows attackers to forge requests that appear legitimate to the web application, exploiting the trust relationship between the application and its users.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant as it compromises the integrity of user sessions and potentially allows attackers to execute administrative actions within Jenkins. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability could perform operations such as creating new users, modifying existing configurations, installing malicious plugins, or accessing sensitive build artifacts and credentials stored within the Jenkins environment. The implications extend beyond simple privilege escalation, as Jenkins often serves as a central hub for continuous integration and deployment processes, making it a valuable target for attackers seeking to compromise entire development pipelines.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately upgrade to the patched versions of Jenkins, specifically version 1.640 for the main release and 1.625.2 for the LTS branch. The mitigation strategy should also include verifying that CSRF protection is properly configured and enabled across all Jenkins instances. Security teams should conduct thorough audits of their Jenkins configurations to ensure that proper authentication and authorization mechanisms are in place. Additionally, implementing network-level protections such as firewalls and intrusion detection systems can provide additional defense in depth. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078 which covers valid accounts and T1190 which addresses exploit public-facing application, highlighting the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and proper access controls. Organizations should also consider implementing additional monitoring and logging mechanisms to detect potential exploitation attempts and establish incident response procedures to address any successful breaches.