CVE-2017-18104 in JIRA
Summary
by MITRE
The Webhooks component of Atlassian Jira before version 7.6.7 and from version 7.7.0 before version 7.11.0 allows remote attackers who are able to observe or otherwise intercept webhook events to learn information about changes in issues that should not be sent because they are not contained within the results of a specified JQL query.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/09/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-18104 resides within the Webhooks component of Atlassian Jira, affecting versions prior to 7.6.7 and versions 7.7.0 through 7.10.9. This security flaw represents a significant information disclosure issue that undermines the confidentiality controls designed to protect sensitive issue data within Jira's access control framework. The vulnerability specifically targets the webhook event handling mechanism, which is intended to notify external systems of issue changes based on predefined JQL query parameters.
The technical flaw manifests when webhook events are processed and transmitted to external systems without proper validation of the JQL query restrictions that should govern which issue changes are exposed. Attackers capable of observing or intercepting webhook traffic can exploit this weakness to gain knowledge of issue modifications that should remain hidden due to query filtering constraints. This occurs because the webhook component fails to properly enforce the access controls that are normally applied to JQL query results, allowing unauthorized disclosure of issue data that would otherwise be restricted from view by the requesting user or system.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it can enable attackers to gather intelligence about project timelines, issue statuses, and potentially sensitive business data that should remain confidential. The vulnerability affects organizations that rely on Jira's webhook functionality for integration with external systems, monitoring tools, or automated workflows, as it compromises the integrity of the access control boundaries that protect sensitive information. This weakness particularly impacts environments where Jira is used for managing confidential projects, security-sensitive issues, or regulated data where unauthorized access to issue change notifications could lead to compliance violations or competitive disadvantages.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including upgrading to Jira versions 7.6.7 or 7.11.0 and later, which contain the necessary patches to address this vulnerability. Security teams should also review existing webhook configurations to ensure that sensitive data is not being exposed through these channels, and consider implementing additional network-level controls to monitor and restrict webhook traffic. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-200, Information Exposure, and can be mapped to ATT&CK technique T1071.004 for Application Layer Protocol: DNS, as it involves the unauthorized disclosure of information through application protocols. Organizations should also consider implementing webhook request validation and access control verification mechanisms to prevent similar issues in other systems and ensure that the principle of least privilege is maintained across all integration points.