CVE-2020-2126 in DigitalOcean Plugin
Summary
by MITRE
Jenkins DigitalOcean Plugin 1.1 and earlier stores a token unencrypted in the global config.xml file on the Jenkins master where it can be viewed by users with access to the master file system.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/13/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-2126 affects the Jenkins DigitalOcean Plugin version 1.1 and earlier, presenting a critical security flaw in how authentication tokens are handled within the Jenkins master configuration. This issue stems from the plugin's improper storage mechanism where sensitive authentication credentials are written to the global config.xml file in an unencrypted format, creating a significant exposure point for unauthorized access to DigitalOcean cloud resources. The vulnerability represents a direct violation of security best practices for credential management, as it allows any user with file system access to the Jenkins master to extract these tokens and potentially compromise cloud infrastructure. The flaw exists at the configuration persistence layer where the plugin fails to implement proper encryption or obfuscation mechanisms for storing sensitive data, leaving it vulnerable to lateral movement and privilege escalation attacks.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the plugin's configuration handling code that serializes authentication tokens directly into the Jenkins master's configuration file without applying any form of encryption or cryptographic protection. This unencrypted storage approach violates fundamental security principles outlined in the CWE-312 category, which specifically addresses the exposure of sensitive information through improper data handling. The config.xml file becomes a treasure trove of credentials that can be accessed by any user with read permissions on the Jenkins master file system, including malicious insiders or attackers who have gained file system access through other compromised vectors. This creates a dangerous attack surface where a single compromised account with file system access can lead to complete cloud infrastructure compromise, as the tokens can be used to perform operations on DigitalOcean resources such as creating, modifying, or deleting virtual machines, storage volumes, and network configurations.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple credential theft, as it enables attackers to maintain persistent access to cloud resources and potentially escalate their privileges within the cloud environment. An attacker who gains access to the Jenkins master file system can extract multiple tokens if the system is configured to use multiple DigitalOcean accounts, leading to widespread compromise of cloud infrastructure. This vulnerability particularly affects organizations that rely on Jenkins for continuous integration and deployment workflows where cloud resources are dynamically provisioned and managed through automated pipelines. The attack surface becomes even more dangerous when considering that Jenkins master servers often run with elevated privileges and may have access to additional sensitive systems within the organization's infrastructure. The vulnerability also impacts compliance requirements for organizations subject to regulations such as SOC 2, PCI DSS, or GDPR, where proper credential handling and encryption are mandatory controls.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2020-2126 should focus on immediate remediation through plugin version updates to 1.2 or later, which addresses the unencrypted token storage issue. Organizations should implement strict file system access controls and privilege separation to limit who can read the Jenkins master configuration files, applying the principle of least privilege to prevent unauthorized access to sensitive data. The implementation of proper credential management practices including the use of Jenkins credentials binding, encrypted configuration storage, and regular security auditing of configuration files should be enforced. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing automated monitoring solutions that can detect unauthorized access attempts to sensitive configuration files and alert security teams to potential compromise. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of following ATT&CK framework tactics such as credential access and privilege escalation, where attackers can leverage misconfigured systems to extract credentials and move laterally within the environment. Regular security assessments of Jenkins plugins and configurations should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities, and organizations should adopt secure coding practices that prevent the storage of sensitive data in plaintext formats within system configuration files.