CVE-2020-2116 in Pipeline GitHub Notify Step Plugin
Summary
by MITRE
A cross-site request forgery vulnerability in Jenkins Pipeline GitHub Notify Step Plugin 1.0.4 and earlier allows attackers to connect to an attacker-specified URL using attacker-specified credentials IDs obtained through another method, capturing credentials stored in Jenkins.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/13/2020
This cross-site request forgery vulnerability exists within the Jenkins Pipeline GitHub Notify Step Plugin version 1.0.4 and earlier, representing a critical security flaw that enables attackers to manipulate authenticated requests without user consent. The vulnerability specifically affects the plugin's handling of GitHub notification steps within Jenkins pipelines, creating an avenue for unauthorized access to stored credentials. The flaw stems from insufficient validation of request origins and lack of proper anti-CSRF token implementation in the plugin's web interface components.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when an attacker crafts a malicious request that targets the Jenkins instance's pipeline notification functionality. By leveraging the CSRF vulnerability, attackers can force the Jenkins server to make HTTP requests to arbitrary URLs using credentials stored within the Jenkins credential store. This allows unauthorized parties to extract sensitive authentication information including API tokens, usernames, and passwords that are managed by the Jenkins credential system. The vulnerability essentially enables credential harvesting through manipulation of the plugin's notification mechanisms, bypassing normal authentication controls.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a significant risk to Jenkins environments that utilize the GitHub Notify Step Plugin for pipeline automation. Attackers can leverage this flaw to gain access to credentials stored in Jenkins, potentially compromising entire CI/CD pipelines and associated systems. The impact extends beyond immediate credential theft, as compromised credentials could enable further attacks including code injection, unauthorized deployments, and access to source code repositories. Organizations with multiple Jenkins instances or those using the plugin for automated deployments face heightened risk, as successful exploitation could lead to complete compromise of continuous integration environments.
The vulnerability maps to CWE-352, Cross-Site Request Forgery, which is a well-established category of web application security flaws. It also aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.001, Phishing, as attackers may need to trick users into visiting malicious pages containing the CSRF payload. Additionally, the vulnerability demonstrates characteristics of credential access patterns in ATT&CK matrix, specifically T1555.004, Credentials from Password Stores, where stolen credentials are harvested from Jenkins credential stores. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including upgrading to plugin versions 1.0.5 or later, which contain proper CSRF protection mechanisms, and reviewing existing pipeline configurations to minimize credential exposure. Network-level protections such as implementing proper authentication controls and monitoring for unusual credential usage patterns can provide additional defense-in-depth measures against exploitation attempts.