CVE-2019-12867 in YouTrack
Summary
by MITRE
Certain actions could cause privilege escalation for issue attachments in JetBrains YouTrack. The issue was fixed in 2018.4.49168.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/30/2020
This vulnerability in JetBrains YouTrack represents a privilege escalation flaw that allowed unauthorized users to gain elevated permissions through issue attachment manipulation. The vulnerability specifically affected the handling of attachments within the issue management system, where certain actions could be exploited to bypass normal access controls. The flaw existed in versions prior to 2018.4.49168 and was addressed through a security patch that strengthened the attachment access control mechanisms. From a cybersecurity perspective, this represents a critical authorization bypass vulnerability that could enable malicious actors to access sensitive project data or perform administrative functions without proper authentication.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stemmed from insufficient validation of user permissions when processing attachment-related operations within the YouTrack platform. Attackers could exploit this weakness by crafting specific requests that would allow them to attach files to issues they should not have access to, potentially gaining access to confidential information or modifying project data. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-264 category of "Permissions, Privileges, and Access Controls" and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078.004 for valid accounts and T1484.001 for legitimate credentials. The flaw exploited the principle of least privilege by allowing unauthorized access to resources that should have been restricted based on user roles and permissions.
The operational impact of this vulnerability was significant for organizations using JetBrains YouTrack as their primary issue tracking system. Teams could potentially access sensitive project information, manipulate issue attachments, or gain access to restricted features that were intended only for administrators or authorized personnel. This could lead to data breaches, unauthorized modifications to project timelines, or exposure of confidential business information. The vulnerability was particularly concerning in environments where YouTrack was used for managing security-sensitive projects, compliance-related issues, or internal audit processes where proper access controls are essential.
Organizations should have implemented immediate mitigations upon the release of version 2018.4.49168, which included enhanced permission checking for attachment operations and strengthened access control validation. System administrators should have reviewed and enforced proper user role assignments, ensuring that only authorized personnel had access to sensitive project data. Additionally, organizations should have conducted security audits of their YouTrack installations to verify that all instances were updated to the patched version. The vulnerability highlighted the importance of regular security updates and proper access control configuration in collaborative development platforms. Organizations should also have implemented monitoring for suspicious attachment-related activities and established incident response procedures to address potential exploitation attempts.