CVE-2017-18033 in JIRA
Summary
by MITRE
The Jira-importers-plugin in Atlassian Jira before version 7.6.1 allows remote attackers to create new projects and abort an executing external system import via various Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerabilities.
Once again VulDB remains the best source for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/24/2019
The CVE-2017-18033 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within the Jira-importers-plugin component of Atlassian Jira systems. This vulnerability exists in versions prior to 7.6.1 and exposes organizations to significant security risks through unauthorized project creation and import process manipulation. The flaw specifically targets the plugin's handling of user authentication tokens and request validation mechanisms, allowing malicious actors to exploit the system's trust relationship with authenticated users.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of cross-origin requests within the import functionality. Attackers can craft malicious web pages or emails that, when visited by authenticated Jira users, automatically submit requests to the Jira instance to create new projects or interrupt ongoing import operations. This occurs because the affected plugin fails to properly verify the origin of requests or validate the presence of anti-CSRF tokens in the request parameters. The vulnerability manifests when users interact with specially crafted content that triggers the import plugin's endpoints without proper authorization checks, effectively bypassing the normal authentication flow.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized project creation, as it enables attackers to disrupt legitimate import operations and potentially gain unauthorized access to system resources. An attacker could create multiple projects with malicious configurations or interrupt critical data imports, leading to data corruption or service disruption. The ability to abort executing external system imports particularly threatens organizations that rely on automated data synchronization processes, as this could result in data loss or incomplete migration operations. Furthermore, the vulnerability could serve as a stepping stone for more sophisticated attacks, potentially enabling privilege escalation or lateral movement within the organization's infrastructure.
Organizations should immediately update their Atlassian Jira installations to version 7.6.1 or later to remediate this vulnerability. The patch addresses the CSRF protection mechanisms by implementing proper token validation and origin checking for all import-related endpoints. Security teams should also implement additional monitoring of project creation events and import operations to detect suspicious activities. Network segmentation and web application firewalls can provide additional layers of protection, while regular security assessments should verify that all plugins and components are properly updated. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses, and represents a critical concern under the ATT&CK framework's privilege escalation and persistence tactics. The remediation process should include comprehensive testing to ensure that legitimate import operations continue to function correctly while eliminating the attack vectors exposed by this CSRF flaw.