CVE-2019-16909 in In-App
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in the Infosysta "In-App & Desktop Notifications" app before 1.6.14_J8 for Jira. It is possible to obtain a list of all Jira projects (with authentication as a Jira user, but without authorization for specific projects) via the plugins/servlet/nfj/NotificationSettings URI.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/01/2024
This vulnerability exists within the Infosysta "In-App & Desktop Notifications" plugin for Jira, specifically affecting versions prior to 1.6.14_J8. The issue represents a critical information disclosure flaw that allows authenticated Jira users to enumerate all projects within the Jira instance through a specific API endpoint. The vulnerability stems from inadequate access controls and authorization checks within the plugin's notification settings servlet, which processes requests to the plugins/servlet/nfj/NotificationSettings URI. Attackers with basic Jira user accounts can exploit this weakness to discover the complete project landscape without possessing explicit permissions for individual projects, effectively bypassing the intended access control mechanisms that should restrict project visibility based on user authorization levels.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the plugin's failure to properly validate user permissions when processing requests to the notification settings endpoint. When a user accesses the plugins/servlet/nfj/NotificationSettings URI, the application returns project information without verifying whether the requesting user has legitimate access to view specific projects. This behavior violates fundamental security principles of least privilege and proper authorization enforcement. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-200, which addresses "Information Exposure," and specifically relates to CWE-352, "Cross-Site Request Forgery," as the flaw enables unauthorized information gathering through legitimate user sessions. From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates significant risk for organizations as it allows attackers to map the complete project structure of their Jira instance, potentially identifying sensitive projects, understanding organizational workflows, and planning more targeted attacks against specific areas of the system.
The impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it provides attackers with comprehensive knowledge of the Jira environment's structure and potentially exposes sensitive organizational information. An attacker could use this information to identify high-value projects, understand team structures, and discover projects that might contain confidential data or critical business processes. The vulnerability also enables reconnaissance activities that could support more sophisticated attacks, such as identifying projects with specific security configurations or locating projects that might be vulnerable to other exploits. Organizations using affected plugin versions face increased risk of targeted attacks, data breaches, and information gathering activities that could compromise their security posture. This flaw particularly impacts organizations that rely heavily on Jira for project management and that maintain strict project-level access controls, as it undermines the fundamental security model that separates project visibility based on user permissions.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate patching of the affected plugin to version 1.6.14_J8 or later, which addresses the authorization bypass issue. Organizations should also implement additional security measures such as monitoring for unusual access patterns to notification settings endpoints, implementing network-level restrictions on plugin servlets, and conducting regular security assessments of third-party Jira plugins. Security teams should consider implementing application firewalls or web application firewalls that can detect and block suspicious requests to known vulnerable endpoints. From a compliance perspective, this vulnerability may impact organizations subject to regulations such as soc 2, iso 27001, or gdpr, as it represents a potential data exposure incident. The remediation process should include verifying that the patch has been properly applied, testing that access controls are functioning correctly, and ensuring that users cannot enumerate projects they should not have access to. Additionally, organizations should review their plugin management processes to ensure that security updates are applied promptly and that third-party plugins are regularly assessed for security vulnerabilities. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under T1087.001 "Account Discovery: Local Account" and T1069.001 "Permission Groups Discovery" as it enables unauthorized enumeration of system resources through legitimate user credentials.