CVE-2016-4319 in JIRA Server
Summary
by MITRE
Atlassian JIRA Server before 7.1.9 has CSRF in auditing/settings.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/28/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-4319 affects Atlassian JIRA Server versions prior to 7.1.9 and represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within the auditing and settings components of the application. This vulnerability resides in the web application's failure to properly validate and enforce anti-CSRF tokens during sensitive administrative operations, creating a significant security risk for organizations relying on JIRA for project management and issue tracking. The flaw specifically impacts the auditing functionality and system settings configuration areas where users with appropriate privileges can perform administrative actions that modify critical system parameters.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the absence of proper CSRF protection mechanisms in the affected JIRA Server components. When administrators access the auditing and settings pages, the application fails to validate that requests originate from legitimate sources within the same session. This allows malicious actors to craft specially crafted web pages or exploit existing vulnerabilities to trick authenticated users into performing unintended administrative actions without their knowledge. The vulnerability manifests when users with administrative privileges navigate to malicious sites or receive crafted emails containing embedded attack vectors that leverage their authenticated session to modify system configurations or audit settings.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data modification as it enables attackers to potentially compromise the entire JIRA instance through unauthorized configuration changes. An attacker could leverage this flaw to disable auditing features, modify user permissions, alter system settings that affect security controls, or even redirect system functionality. The severity is amplified by the fact that JIRA serves as a central hub for issue tracking, project management, and collaboration, making it a prime target for attackers seeking persistent access or system compromise. Organizations may experience unauthorized access to sensitive project data, disruption of workflow processes, or potential lateral movement within their network infrastructure.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate patching of affected JIRA Server installations to version 7.1.9 or later, which includes proper CSRF token validation and enforcement mechanisms. Organizations should also implement network-level protections such as web application firewalls that can detect and block suspicious cross-site request patterns, conduct thorough security audits of administrative user sessions, and enforce strict access controls for privileged accounts. Additionally, security teams should review and strengthen their incident response procedures to quickly detect and respond to potential exploitation attempts. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery issues, and represents a significant concern under the ATT&CK framework's privilege escalation and persistence tactics where attackers seek to maintain control over critical infrastructure tools.