CVE-2018-1999025 in ECU-TEST Plugin
Summary
by MITRE
A man in the middle vulnerability exists in Jenkins TraceTronic ECU-TEST Plugin 2.3 and earlier in ATXPublisher.java, ATXValidator.java that allows attackers to impersonate any service that Jenkins connects to.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/12/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-1999025 represents a critical man-in-the-middle attack vector within the Jenkins TraceTronic ECU-TEST Plugin version 2.3 and earlier. This security flaw specifically affects the ATXPublisher.java and ATXValidator.java components, which are responsible for handling communication between Jenkins and external services during automated testing processes. The vulnerability stems from insufficient certificate validation mechanisms that allow malicious actors to intercept and manipulate communications between Jenkins and its connected systems.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability resides in the improper handling of SSL/TLS certificate validation within the plugin's network communication stack. When Jenkins establishes connections to external services through the ECU-TEST plugin, the system fails to properly validate the authenticity and integrity of the certificates presented by these services. This weakness creates an opportunity for attackers positioned within the network to perform SSL stripping attacks or present fake certificates that Jenkins will accept without proper verification. The flaw operates at the application layer where secure communication protocols should enforce strict certificate validation but instead allows for certificate trust bypass mechanisms.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to organizations utilizing Jenkins for automotive software testing environments, particularly those in the trace tronic ECU testing domain. Attackers who successfully exploit this vulnerability can impersonate legitimate services such as test servers, database connections, or other infrastructure components that Jenkins communicates with during automated testing workflows. This capability enables malicious actors to potentially inject false test results, manipulate testing data, or redirect Jenkins to communicate with compromised systems that could serve as command and control servers for further attacks within the organization's network infrastructure.
The impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data interception, as it fundamentally undermines the trust model that secure communication protocols are designed to establish. Organizations using the affected plugin version may experience compromised test integrity, leading to potentially dangerous deployment decisions based on falsified test results. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-295 which addresses improper certificate validation, and represents a clear violation of secure communication principles outlined in various cybersecurity frameworks. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to T1071.004 for application layer protocol and T1566 for credential access through man-in-the-middle techniques, potentially enabling further lateral movement within the network.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should prioritize immediate plugin version updates to versions that address the certificate validation issues. Organizations should implement network monitoring solutions to detect unusual communication patterns that might indicate certificate manipulation attempts. Additional security measures include implementing strict certificate pinning policies, deploying network segmentation to isolate Jenkins environments, and conducting regular security assessments of automated testing infrastructure. The vulnerability also underscores the importance of maintaining up-to-date security practices and the necessity of thorough security reviews for all third-party plugins integrated into critical automation environments. Organizations should also consider implementing additional verification mechanisms beyond standard certificate validation to protect against sophisticated attacks that may attempt to exploit similar weaknesses in their secure communication implementations.