CVE-2020-2240 in Database Plugin
Summary
by MITRE
A cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in Jenkins database Plugin 1.6 and earlier allows attackers to execute arbitrary SQL scripts.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/12/2020
The cross-site request forgery vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-2240 resides within the Jenkins database plugin version 1.6 and earlier, representing a critical security flaw that enables unauthorized execution of SQL commands. This vulnerability operates by exploiting the lack of proper CSRF protection mechanisms within the plugin's web interface, allowing malicious actors to trick authenticated users into executing unintended database operations. The flaw specifically targets the plugin's configuration and management interfaces where database connection parameters and SQL execution capabilities are exposed, creating an attack surface that can be leveraged for unauthorized database access and manipulation.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of request origins and missing anti-CSRF tokens in the plugin's web forms and API endpoints. When administrators or authorized users navigate to compromised pages or interact with maliciously crafted requests, the plugin fails to verify that the requests originate from legitimate sources within the same session. This absence of proper authentication and origin verification creates a pathway for attackers to inject and execute arbitrary SQL scripts against the database systems managed by Jenkins. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it operates at the intersection of web application security and database integrity, allowing attackers to potentially extract sensitive data, modify database structures, or even execute destructive operations.
The operational impact of CVE-2020-2240 extends beyond simple unauthorized access, as it can facilitate comprehensive database compromise and persistence within Jenkins environments. Attackers leveraging this vulnerability can execute SQL commands that may reveal sensitive configuration data, user credentials stored in the database, or other critical information. The vulnerability's exploitation can lead to data exfiltration, database corruption, or the establishment of backdoor access points within the Jenkins infrastructure. Organizations using affected plugin versions face significant risk of unauthorized database manipulation, potential data breaches, and disruption of continuous integration and deployment processes that depend on Jenkins for automated workflows.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate patching of the Jenkins database plugin to versions that implement proper CSRF protection mechanisms. Organizations should ensure all instances of the plugin are updated to versions that include anti-CSRF token validation and proper request origin verification. Network segmentation and access controls should be implemented to limit exposure of Jenkins interfaces to trusted networks only, while monitoring systems should be configured to detect unusual database activity patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. Security teams should also conduct comprehensive audits of Jenkins configurations to identify and remediate other potential CSRF vulnerabilities within the broader Jenkins ecosystem. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses cross-site request forgery flaws, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1078.004 for valid accounts and T1041 for data compression and T1005 for data from local system, as the exploitation can lead to credential theft and data exfiltration through compromised database access.