CVE-2018-1000416 in Job Config History Plugin
Summary
by MITRE
A reflected cross-site scripting vulnerability exists in Jenkins Job Config History Plugin 2.18 and earlier in all Jelly files that shows arbitrary attacker-specified HTML in Jenkins to users with Job/Configure access.
If you want to get best quality of vulnerability data, you may have to visit VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/27/2020
The reflected cross-site scripting vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-1000416 affects the Jenkins Job Config History Plugin version 2.18 and earlier, representing a critical security flaw that enables attackers to inject malicious scripts into web pages viewed by authenticated users. This vulnerability specifically targets Jelly template files within the plugin, which are responsible for rendering user interface elements in Jenkins. The flaw occurs when the plugin fails to properly sanitize user input before incorporating it into HTML output, creating an avenue for attackers to execute arbitrary JavaScript code within the context of a victim's browser session. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-79 as a failure to sanitize user input, making it a classic reflected XSS attack vector that can be exploited through maliciously crafted URLs or form submissions.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability requires an attacker to craft a malicious payload that gets reflected back to users with Job/Configure access permissions, which is a significant concern given that many Jenkins administrators and developers possess these privileges. When a user with appropriate access views a page containing the reflected malicious content, the attacker's JavaScript code executes within the user's browser, potentially allowing the attacker to steal session cookies, perform unauthorized actions on behalf of the victim, or redirect users to malicious websites. The attack surface is particularly concerning because Jenkins is widely used in continuous integration and deployment environments where users with Job/Configure permissions often have elevated privileges within the system. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for social engineering through malicious links and T1071.004 for application layer protocol traffic filtering.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it can be leveraged to compromise entire Jenkins instances and potentially gain access to sensitive build artifacts, source code repositories, and deployment configurations. Attackers could use this vulnerability to establish persistent access through session hijacking, modify job configurations to redirect build outputs, or even inject malicious code into the build process itself. The reflected nature of the vulnerability means that attackers do not need to store malicious content on the server, making detection more difficult and the attack more stealthy. Organizations using Jenkins with the vulnerable plugin version face significant risk of unauthorized access and potential data breaches, especially in environments where Jenkins is integrated with source code management systems and automated deployment pipelines. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of input validation and output encoding in web applications, particularly in privilege-based systems where user input can directly influence system behavior and security posture.
The recommended mitigation strategy involves immediate upgrading of the Jenkins Job Config History Plugin to version 2.19 or later, which contains the necessary patches to address the XSS vulnerability. Organizations should also implement comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout their Jenkins installations, particularly in areas where user-provided data is rendered in web interfaces. Network-level protections such as web application firewalls and content security policies can provide additional defense-in-depth measures, though these should not replace proper code-level fixes. Security teams should conduct thorough assessments of their Jenkins environments to identify any other plugins or components that might be vulnerable to similar reflected XSS attacks, implementing regular security scanning and patch management processes to maintain a secure Jenkins infrastructure. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date software components and implementing proper security controls in enterprise continuous integration systems.