CVE-2019-10397 in Aqua Security Serverless Scanner Plugin
Summary
by MITRE
Jenkins Aqua Security Serverless Scanner Plugin 1.0.4 and earlier transmitted configured passwords in plain text as part of job configuration forms, potentially resulting in their exposure.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/22/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-10397 affects the Jenkins Aqua Security Serverless Scanner Plugin version 1.0.4 and earlier, presenting a critical security risk through improper handling of authentication credentials within job configuration interfaces. This issue manifests when administrators configure scanning jobs that require authentication with Aqua Security servers, as the plugin fails to encrypt or obfuscate password fields during form submission processes. The flaw directly violates security best practices for credential management and represents a significant weakness in Jenkins' configuration handling mechanisms.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the plugin's failure to utilize secure credential storage mechanisms when processing user inputs through web forms. Specifically, the plugin stores password values in plain text format within job configuration data structures, making these credentials susceptible to interception during transmission and exposure within configuration files. This behavior aligns with CWE-522, which addresses insufficiently protected credentials, and demonstrates a clear failure to implement proper authentication credential handling as outlined in industry standards. The vulnerability creates an attack surface where malicious actors could potentially access these unencrypted credentials through various vectors including network sniffing, configuration file analysis, or exploitation of other system vulnerabilities.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability poses substantial risk to organizations relying on Jenkins for continuous integration and deployment workflows that integrate with Aqua Security serverless scanning capabilities. When administrators configure security scanning jobs, their Aqua credentials become exposed in plain text within Jenkins job configurations, potentially compromising the entire security infrastructure. Attackers who gain access to Jenkins configuration data or can intercept network traffic during form submissions can immediately obtain valid authentication credentials for Aqua Security systems, enabling unauthorized access to security scanning capabilities and potentially leading to broader system compromise. This vulnerability directly impacts the principle of least privilege and creates opportunities for lateral movement within security tooling ecosystems.
The security implications extend beyond simple credential exposure, as this vulnerability can enable attackers to perform unauthorized security scanning operations, potentially masking malicious activities within legitimate scanning reports or gaining access to sensitive security data. Organizations using Jenkins with the affected plugin may experience cascading security issues where compromised credentials allow attackers to access Aqua Security dashboards, modify scanning policies, or extract sensitive security intelligence. The vulnerability's impact is amplified by the fact that Jenkins is commonly used in enterprise environments where it serves as a central automation hub, making it a prime target for attackers seeking to establish persistent access to critical infrastructure. Mitigation strategies should include immediate plugin updates to versions 1.0.5 and later, which address the credential transmission issue through proper encryption and secure storage mechanisms, alongside comprehensive credential rotation and monitoring of Jenkins configuration changes to detect unauthorized modifications.
Organizations should also implement additional security controls including network segmentation to limit access to Jenkins servers, regular security scanning of Jenkins configurations, and implementation of automated credential management systems that prevent plain text credential storage. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of secure credential handling practices in CI/CD environments and highlights the need for comprehensive security testing of third-party plugins before deployment. Security teams should conduct thorough assessments of all Jenkins plugins to identify similar vulnerabilities and establish robust credential management policies that align with NIST SP 800-63B standards for authentication and credential management.