CVE-2018-13404 in JIRA
Summary
by MITRE
The VerifyPopServerConnection resource in Atlassian Jira before version 7.6.10, from version 7.7.0 before version 7.7.5, from version 7.8.0 before version 7.8.5, from version 7.9.0 before version 7.9.3, from version 7.10.0 before version 7.10.3, from version 7.11.0 before version 7.11.3, from version 7.12.0 before version 7.12.3, and from version 7.13.0 before version 7.13.1 allows remote attackers who have administrator rights to determine the existence of internal hosts & open ports and in some cases obtain service information from internal network resources via a Server Side Request Forgery (SSRF) vulnerability.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/10/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-13404 represents a critical server-side request forgery flaw within Atlassian Jira's VerifyPopServerConnection resource. This issue affects multiple version ranges of the Jira platform, specifically targeting versions prior to the mentioned security patches across several major release branches. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and sanitization mechanisms that allow authenticated administrators to craft malicious requests that can traverse internal network boundaries. The flaw operates by permitting the exploitation of the POP3 server verification functionality to make arbitrary requests to internal hosts and ports, effectively bypassing network segmentation controls that typically protect internal resources from external access.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability enables attackers with administrative privileges to perform network reconnaissance activities by probing internal hosts and identifying open ports within the organization's network infrastructure. This occurs because the VerifyPopServerConnection resource fails to properly validate or sanitize the input parameters used for POP3 server verification, allowing crafted payloads to specify arbitrary IP addresses and port numbers. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-918 as Server-Side Request Forgery, which is a well-documented attack pattern where an application accepts untrusted input that is then used to make requests to internal resources. This type of vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it can be exploited to map internal network topologies and identify vulnerable services that might otherwise remain hidden from external scanning.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it provides attackers with detailed insights into internal network configurations and service availability. An attacker who has already gained administrative access to a Jira instance can leverage this flaw to conduct extensive reconnaissance of the internal network environment, potentially identifying additional attack vectors or vulnerable systems. The ability to determine service information from internal resources means that an attacker could discover running services such as databases, application servers, or other critical infrastructure components that are not directly exposed to the internet. This reconnaissance capability significantly increases the attack surface and provides valuable intelligence for subsequent exploitation phases.
Security practitioners should implement immediate mitigations including applying the relevant security patches to all affected Jira versions, as well as implementing network segmentation controls to limit the potential impact of such vulnerabilities. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls and network monitoring solutions that can detect unusual outbound requests from Jira servers. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of validating all user inputs and implementing proper access controls, as the flaw only affects authenticated administrators who can make changes to system configurations. This aligns with ATT&CK technique T1071.004 for Application Layer Protocol: DNS and T1046 for Network Service Scanning, which are commonly used by attackers to map network environments. Additionally, organizations should conduct regular security assessments to identify similar vulnerabilities in other applications that may be susceptible to similar server-side request forgery attacks, particularly those that interact with external services or perform network operations on behalf of users.