CVE-2019-8450 in JIRA
Summary
by MITRE
Various templates of the Optimization plugin in Jira before version 7.13.6, and from version 8.0.0 before version 8.4.0 allow remote attackers who have permission to manage custom fields to inject arbitrary HTML or JavaScript via a cross site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the name of a custom field.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/21/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-8450 represents a critical cross site scripting flaw within the Optimization plugin for Atlassian Jira products. This security weakness affects multiple version ranges including Jira versions prior to 7.13.6 and versions 8.0.0 through 8.3.9, creating a significant attack surface for malicious actors who possess the specific permission to manage custom fields within the system. The flaw resides in how the plugin processes and renders template elements, particularly when handling custom field names that may contain malicious script content. The vulnerability is categorized under CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross site scripting attacks where untrusted data is incorporated into web pages without proper sanitization or encoding mechanisms.
Attackers exploiting this vulnerability can leverage their privileged access to custom field management to inject malicious HTML or JavaScript code into the name field of custom fields. This injection occurs within the template rendering process of the Optimization plugin, allowing the malicious code to execute in the context of other users' browsers when they view the affected custom fields. The attack vector is particularly concerning because it requires only the specific permission to manage custom fields, which many organizations grant to legitimate users for administrative purposes. This means that an attacker with relatively limited privileges could potentially escalate their access and compromise other users within the same Jira instance.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution as it can enable various malicious activities including session hijacking, data exfiltration, and privilege escalation within the Jira environment. When users view custom fields containing malicious scripts, the injected code executes in their browser context, potentially allowing attackers to steal authentication tokens, access sensitive project data, or manipulate the Jira interface to redirect users to phishing sites. The vulnerability also aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 which covers scripting through web shells, and T1566 which addresses credential harvesting through social engineering. Organizations using Jira with the affected Optimization plugin versions face significant risk of unauthorized access and data compromise, particularly in environments where custom field management permissions are granted to multiple users.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2019-8450 primarily involve immediate patching of affected Jira installations to versions 7.13.6 or 8.4.0 and later, which contain the necessary security fixes. Organizations should also implement additional security controls including restricting the custom field management permissions to only essential administrative users, implementing web application firewalls to detect and block suspicious script injection attempts, and conducting regular security assessments of custom field configurations. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of input validation and output encoding in web applications, particularly when dealing with user-supplied content that may be rendered in web contexts. Security teams should also consider implementing automated monitoring for suspicious activities related to custom field modifications and establish incident response procedures specifically addressing XSS vulnerabilities in collaborative platforms like Jira.