CVE-2019-19937 in Artifactory
Summary
by MITRE
In JFrog Artifactory before 6.18, it is not possible to restrict either system or repository imports by any admin user in the enterprise, which can lead to "undesirable results."
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/16/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-19937 affects JFrog Artifactory versions prior to 6.18, representing a critical access control flaw that undermines the security posture of enterprise artifact management systems. This issue stems from insufficient administrative controls that prevent proper restriction of system and repository import operations, creating a scenario where unauthorized or unintended artifact imports can occur within the platform. The vulnerability exists at the administrative privilege level, where enterprise administrators lack the ability to enforce granular controls over import functionalities that should be strictly managed. This represents a fundamental failure in the principle of least privilege and role-based access control mechanisms that are essential for protecting sensitive artifact repositories. The flaw allows any administrator within the enterprise to perform imports without proper authorization boundaries, potentially enabling malicious actors or compromised accounts to introduce unauthorized artifacts into the system.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability manifests in the absence of proper import restriction mechanisms within the administrative interface of JFrog Artifactory. When administrators attempt to configure import policies or restrictions for system-level or repository-level imports, the platform fails to enforce these security controls effectively. This creates a path for privilege escalation and unauthorized artifact manipulation through import operations that should be governed by strict access controls. The underlying architecture does not properly validate administrative permissions during import processes, allowing any user with administrative privileges to bypass intended restrictions. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-284, which addresses improper access control, and specifically demonstrates weaknesses in authorization mechanisms that should prevent unauthorized import operations. The flaw essentially creates a backdoor where administrative users can circumvent established security policies through import functionalities that are meant to be tightly controlled.
The operational impact of CVE-2019-19937 extends beyond simple access control violations to encompass potential supply chain compromise and data integrity threats. Enterprise organizations relying on JFrog Artifactory for artifact management face significant risks when import restrictions cannot be properly enforced, as this vulnerability enables unauthorized artifact injection that could include malicious packages or compromised dependencies. Attackers could exploit this flaw to introduce backdoors, malware, or other harmful artifacts into enterprise repositories, potentially affecting multiple downstream systems that depend on these artifacts. The vulnerability also creates audit and compliance challenges since proper import controls are essential for maintaining secure software development practices and regulatory requirements. Organizations may experience unauthorized access to critical artifact repositories, leading to potential data breaches or compromised software delivery pipelines that could affect numerous applications and services relying on these artifact management systems.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2019-19937 require immediate implementation of the vendor-provided patch or upgrade to JFrog Artifactory version 6.18 or later, which addresses the import restriction functionality. Organizations should conduct comprehensive security assessments of their existing import configurations and review administrative user permissions to identify potential unauthorized access paths. The implementation of additional monitoring controls around import activities can help detect suspicious or unauthorized import operations. Security teams should establish strict policies governing artifact import procedures and ensure that only authorized personnel with appropriate clearance can perform import operations. Network segmentation and access controls should be implemented to limit exposure of artifact repositories to untrusted networks or users. Regular security audits of administrative access controls and import configurations should be conducted to maintain proper security posture. This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper administrative privilege management and access control enforcement in enterprise artifact management systems, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1078 for valid accounts and T1566 for malicious file execution through compromised artifact repositories. Organizations should also consider implementing automated security scanning of imported artifacts to detect and prevent malicious content from entering their artifact management systems.