CVE-2019-20899 in JIRA Server
Summary
by MITRE
The Gadget API in Atlassian Jira Server and Data Center in affected versions allows remote attackers to make Jira unresponsive via repeated requests to a certain endpoint in the Gadget API. The affected versions are before version 8.5.4, and from version 8.6.0 before 8.6.1.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/13/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-20899 represents a significant denial of service weakness within Atlassian Jira Server and Data Center platforms. This issue specifically targets the Gadget API component, which serves as a critical interface for integrating various data visualization and reporting features within the Jira ecosystem. The flaw enables remote attackers to exploit a particular endpoint within this API to systematically overwhelm the system's resources, ultimately rendering Jira unresponsive and disrupting critical workflow operations for organizations relying on this platform.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and resource management within the Gadget API's targeted endpoint. Attackers can exploit this weakness by repeatedly sending crafted requests to the vulnerable endpoint, which causes the system to consume excessive computational resources or memory allocation. This behavior aligns with CWE-400, which categorizes resource exhaustion vulnerabilities as a critical class of weaknesses that can lead to system instability and service disruption. The vulnerability's impact is particularly severe because it operates at the application layer, allowing attackers to consume system resources without requiring authentication or elevated privileges, making it accessible to anyone with network access to the Jira instance.
The operational consequences of this vulnerability extend beyond simple service interruption, as it can severely impact business continuity and productivity within organizations that depend on Jira for project management and issue tracking. When Jira becomes unresponsive due to this attack, teams lose access to critical project information, can't update issue statuses, and face significant delays in their workflow processes. The attack vector is particularly concerning because it can be executed remotely over the network, meaning that an attacker doesn't need physical access to the system or insider knowledge of the internal network structure. This vulnerability also aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.004, which describes resource exhaustion attacks targeting network services, making it a particularly dangerous threat for enterprise environments where Jira serves as a central communication and project management hub.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should prioritize immediate remediation through the application of Atlassian's official security patches, specifically upgrading to version 8.5.4 or 8.6.1 and later. The recommended mitigation strategy involves implementing rate limiting controls at the network perimeter to restrict the number of requests that can be made to the Gadget API endpoint, effectively preventing the exploitation of this weakness. Additionally, network administrators should consider implementing intrusion detection systems that can identify and alert on suspicious patterns of requests to the vulnerable endpoint, providing early warning capabilities for potential attacks. Security teams should also conduct thorough network monitoring to identify any attempted exploitation of this vulnerability, as the attack pattern is distinctive enough to be detected through proper log analysis and traffic monitoring. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and implementing proper access controls for all application components, particularly those that handle external requests and user input.