CVE-2019-10426 in Gem Publisher Plugin
Summary
by MITRE
Jenkins Gem Publisher Plugin stores credentials unencrypted in its global configuration file on the Jenkins master where they can be viewed by users with access to the master file system.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/08/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-10426 affects the Jenkins Gem Publisher Plugin, a component widely used in continuous integration and deployment pipelines within enterprise environments. This issue represents a critical configuration flaw that undermines the fundamental security principles of credential management within Jenkins ecosystems. The vulnerability stems from the plugin's improper handling of sensitive authentication data, specifically storing credentials in plaintext format within the Jenkins master's configuration files. This misconfiguration creates a significant attack surface where unauthorized individuals with file system access to the Jenkins master can directly extract and exploit these stored credentials.
The technical implementation flaw resides in the plugin's global configuration management system, which fails to implement proper encryption or obfuscation mechanisms for credential storage. When administrators configure the Gem Publisher Plugin, they typically provide authentication tokens, API keys, or other sensitive information required for publishing gems to remote repositories. These credentials are persistently stored in the Jenkins master's file system without any form of cryptographic protection, making them immediately accessible to any user who can read the configuration files. This design violates established security practices and represents a direct violation of the principle of least privilege, as the credentials are exposed to all users with sufficient file system permissions to access the master node.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond the immediate exposure of authentication tokens. Attackers who gain file system access to the Jenkins master can leverage these stored credentials to authenticate to gem repositories such as rubygems.org, potentially enabling them to publish malicious gems, modify existing packages, or perform unauthorized operations within the software supply chain. This threat is particularly concerning in enterprise environments where Jenkins masters often contain credentials for multiple systems and services, creating a single point of failure that can compromise entire application deployment pipelines. The vulnerability also facilitates lateral movement within networks where Jenkins masters are part of larger infrastructure ecosystems, as these credentials may grant access to additional systems and resources.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should implement immediate mitigations including restricting file system access to Jenkins master nodes, implementing proper access controls, and conducting comprehensive credential rotation. The recommended approach involves upgrading to patched versions of the Gem Publisher Plugin that implement proper credential encryption mechanisms, while also establishing robust monitoring for unauthorized file system access attempts. From a compliance perspective, this vulnerability directly contravenes security standards such as those outlined in the CWE-312 category for "Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information" and aligns with ATT&CK techniques focused on credential access and privilege escalation. Organizations should also consider implementing additional security controls such as file integrity monitoring, privileged access management solutions, and regular security assessments to identify and remediate similar configuration weaknesses across their Jenkins infrastructure and broader software supply chain ecosystems.