CVE-2016-4318 in JIRA Server
Summary
by MITRE
Atlassian JIRA Server before 7.1.9 has XSS in project/ViewDefaultProjectRoleActors.jspa via a role name.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/28/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-4318 affects Atlassian JIRA Server versions prior to 7.1.9, specifically targeting the project/ViewDefaultProjectRoleActors.jspa endpoint. This issue represents a cross-site scripting vulnerability that allows attackers to inject malicious scripts into the web application's response, potentially compromising user sessions and enabling unauthorized actions within the JIRA environment. The flaw manifests when the application fails to properly sanitize user-supplied role names before rendering them in the web interface, creating an avenue for attackers to execute arbitrary JavaScript code in the context of a victim's browser session.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding within the JIRA application's role management functionality. When administrators or users view default project role actors, the application retrieves role names from database storage and directly incorporates them into HTML output without proper sanitization or encoding. This allows malicious actors to craft role names containing script tags or other malicious payloads that execute when the page loads. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-79 as a failure to sanitize or incorrectly sanitize user-provided data, which directly enables cross-site scripting attacks. The flaw operates at the application layer where user input flows into the web response without adequate security controls to prevent script execution.
The operational impact of CVE-2016-4318 extends beyond simple script injection, as it can enable attackers to perform session hijacking, steal authentication tokens, or redirect users to malicious sites. An attacker who can influence role names in the JIRA system could potentially compromise the integrity of the application's security model by executing malicious scripts that modify user permissions or access sensitive project data. The vulnerability is particularly concerning in enterprise environments where JIRA serves as a central project management and issue tracking system, as it could allow unauthorized access to confidential business information, development artifacts, or sensitive project details. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to escalate privileges within the JIRA environment or to perform actions that would normally require legitimate authentication credentials.
The recommended mitigation strategy involves upgrading to Atlassian JIRA Server version 7.1.9 or later, which includes proper input sanitization and output encoding mechanisms to prevent XSS attacks. Organizations should also implement additional defensive measures such as content security policies to limit script execution, regular security assessments of web applications, and monitoring for unusual user activity patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of following secure coding practices and adhering to the principle of least privilege in web application development. Security teams should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments of their JIRA installations and ensure all users have appropriate access controls in place to limit the potential impact of such vulnerabilities. This case study aligns with ATT&CK technique T1213 which covers data from information repositories, and represents a classic example of how insufficient input validation can lead to critical security vulnerabilities in enterprise applications.