CVE-2020-2273 in ElasTest Plugin
Summary
by MITRE
A cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in Jenkins ElasTest Plugin 1.2.1 and earlier allows attackers to connect to an attacker-specified URL using attacker-specified credentials.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/16/2020
The cross-site request forgery vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-2273 affects the Jenkins ElasTest Plugin version 1.2.1 and earlier, representing a critical security flaw that undermines the integrity of web-based authentication mechanisms. This vulnerability resides within the plugin's handling of HTTP requests and authentication processes, creating an attack surface where malicious actors can exploit the lack of proper CSRF protection measures. The flaw specifically enables unauthorized execution of actions against a victim's session, leveraging the trusted relationship between the web application and the user's browser.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of request origins and the absence of anti-CSRF tokens in the plugin's web interface. When users interact with the ElasTest Plugin interface, the system fails to verify that requests originate from legitimate sources within the same session context. Attackers can craft malicious requests that appear to come from authenticated users, allowing them to perform unauthorized operations such as connecting to arbitrary URLs using specified credentials. This vulnerability operates at the application layer and affects the plugin's ability to distinguish between genuine user-initiated requests and crafted malicious payloads that exploit the trust relationship.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple credential theft, as it enables attackers to potentially compromise entire Jenkins environments through unauthorized access to test infrastructure and resources. An attacker could leverage this flaw to establish connections to malicious endpoints, potentially redirecting test execution to compromised systems or exfiltrating sensitive data from test environments. The vulnerability affects the plugin's authentication flow and could allow for privilege escalation within the Jenkins environment, particularly when the plugin integrates with external services that require authentication. This creates a significant risk for organizations using Jenkins for continuous integration and testing, as test environments often contain sensitive data and may have access to production systems.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2020-2273 should prioritize immediate plugin version updates to versions that address the CSRF vulnerability, following the vendor's security advisories and release notes. Organizations should implement proper CSRF protection mechanisms including anti-CSRF tokens, origin validation checks, and referer header verification within the plugin's web interfaces. The implementation of Content Security Policy headers and proper session management controls can help prevent unauthorized request execution. Additionally, network-level controls such as web application firewalls should be configured to monitor for suspicious request patterns and validate request authenticity. Security teams should also conduct thorough penetration testing to identify any other potential CSRF vulnerabilities within the Jenkins ecosystem and related plugins. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for the initial access phase through credential harvesting. Organizations should also consider implementing principle of least privilege controls and regular security audits to prevent exploitation of similar vulnerabilities in their CI/CD pipelines and testing infrastructure.