CVE-2018-1999030 in Maven Artifact ChoiceListProvider Plugin
Summary
by MITRE
An exposure of sensitive information vulnerability exists in Jenkins Maven Artifact ChoiceListProvider (Nexus) Plugin 1.3.1 and earlier in ArtifactoryChoiceListProvider.java, NexusChoiceListProvider.java, Nexus3ChoiceListProvider.java that allows attackers to capture credentials with a known credentials ID stored in Jenkins.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/12/2020
This vulnerability represents a critical information disclosure flaw in the Jenkins Maven Artifact ChoiceListProvider plugin ecosystem, specifically affecting versions 1.3.1 and earlier. The vulnerability stems from improper handling of credential storage and retrieval mechanisms within the ArtifactoryChoiceListProvider.java, NexusChoiceListProvider.java, and Nexus3ChoiceListProvider.java files. Attackers can exploit this weakness to capture stored credentials that are associated with known credential IDs within the Jenkins environment, effectively undermining the security controls that protect sensitive authentication information.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves a failure in access control and credential management within the plugin's artifact choice list provider components. When Jenkins processes artifact selection requests through these provider classes, the system fails to properly validate or restrict access to credential information that should remain protected. This flaw allows unauthorized access to credential storage mechanisms that are typically isolated from regular user interactions, creating a direct pathway for attackers to extract authentication data that would normally be secured within Jenkins' credential management system.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability significantly weakens the security posture of Jenkins environments that utilize the affected plugin versions. The exposure of credentials with known IDs can lead to unauthorized access to artifact repositories, potentially enabling attackers to manipulate build processes, access sensitive source code, or compromise the integrity of the continuous integration pipeline. The vulnerability particularly affects organizations that rely heavily on Jenkins for automated builds and deployments where artifact repositories are configured with specific credentials that are stored within Jenkins' credential store.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-200, which addresses the exposure of sensitive information, and represents a specific implementation weakness in credential handling within plugin components. From an attacker's perspective, this flaw maps to techniques described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under credential access and defense evasion tactics, where adversaries can leverage such information disclosure vulnerabilities to maintain persistent access and escalate privileges within the build environment. The attack vector is particularly concerning as it requires minimal privileges to exploit and can be automated to systematically capture multiple credential entries.
Organizations should immediately upgrade to plugin versions that address this vulnerability, as the affected versions 1.3.1 and earlier lack proper credential isolation mechanisms. Security teams should conduct comprehensive audits of their Jenkins environments to identify and remediate any instances of the affected plugin, while implementing additional monitoring for credential access patterns that could indicate exploitation attempts. The mitigation strategy should include mandatory plugin version updates, credential rotation for affected systems, and enhanced access controls around credential management interfaces to prevent unauthorized exposure of authentication information.