CVE-2019-10409 in Project Inheritance Plugin
Summary
by MITRE
A missing permission check in Jenkins Project Inheritance Plugin 2.0.0 and earlier allowed attackers with Overall/Read permission to trigger project generation from templates.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/08/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-10409 resides within the Jenkins Project Inheritance Plugin version 2.0.0 and earlier, representing a critical authorization flaw that undermines the security model of Jenkins continuous integration platform. This issue manifests as a missing permission check that allows unauthorized users to exploit project generation capabilities from templates, creating a significant escalation of privileges threat. The vulnerability specifically affects systems where the Project Inheritance Plugin is installed and configured, potentially exposing organizations to unauthorized project modifications and template-based attacks.
The technical flaw stems from insufficient access control validation within the plugin's project generation mechanism. When users with only Overall/Read permission attempt to trigger project creation from templates, the system fails to verify whether the requester possesses the necessary administrative privileges required for such operations. This missing permission check creates a pathway for attackers to bypass intended security boundaries and execute unauthorized project modifications. The vulnerability operates at the authorization layer, where the system should enforce strict permission validation before allowing template-based project creation but instead grants access based on minimal read permissions alone.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access, as it enables attackers to potentially create malicious projects, modify existing configurations, or leverage template-based attacks to compromise the broader Jenkins environment. An attacker with Overall/Read permission could exploit this flaw to generate new projects that inherit specific configurations, potentially leading to privilege escalation or the deployment of malicious code within the build environment. This vulnerability particularly affects organizations that rely on template-based project management and inheritance mechanisms, as it undermines the integrity of their project creation workflows and exposes sensitive build configurations to unauthorized modification.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including updating the Project Inheritance Plugin to version 2.0.1 or later where the permission check has been properly implemented. System administrators must also review and tighten overall Jenkins access controls, ensuring that users with Overall/Read permissions cannot inadvertently trigger administrative operations. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 which addresses improper access control, and represents a clear violation of the principle of least privilege. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to privilege escalation techniques and could enable adversaries to establish persistence through modified project configurations, making it a significant concern for security operations teams managing Jenkins environments.
The remediation process requires comprehensive testing of the updated plugin to ensure that legitimate administrative functions remain operational while the authorization gap is closed. Security teams should conduct thorough audits of Jenkins configurations to identify any existing exploitation attempts and implement monitoring for unauthorized project creation activities. Additionally, organizations should review their broader Jenkins security posture, as this vulnerability highlights potential gaps in permission model enforcement across the platform. The fix addresses the root cause by implementing proper authorization checks that validate user permissions before allowing template-based project generation, thereby restoring the intended security boundaries within the Jenkins environment.