CVE-2020-36236 in JIRA Server
Summary
by MITRE • 02/15/2021
Affected versions of Atlassian Jira Server and Data Center allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary HTML or JavaScript via a Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the ViewWorkflowSchemes.jspa and ListWorkflows.jspa endpoints. The affected versions are before version 8.5.11, from version 8.6.0 before 8.13.3, and from version 8.14.0 before 8.15.0.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/01/2021
This cross-site scripting vulnerability in Atlassian Jira Server and Data Center represents a critical security flaw that enables remote attackers to execute malicious scripts within the context of authenticated users' browsers. The vulnerability specifically affects the ViewWorkflowSchemes.jspa and ListWorkflows.jspa endpoints, which are part of Jira's administrative interface for managing workflow schemes and workflow lists. The flaw allows attackers to inject arbitrary HTML or JavaScript code that gets executed when legitimate users view these pages, potentially leading to session hijacking, data theft, or privilege escalation. This vulnerability exists due to insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms in the affected Jira versions, creating an opening for malicious actors to manipulate application behavior through crafted payloads.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability follows standard XSS attack patterns where attackers craft malicious input parameters that are not properly sanitized before being rendered in web responses. The affected versions span multiple release branches, indicating a widespread issue that impacted users across different Jira Server and Data Center deployments. CWE-79, the Common Weakness Enumeration identifier for Cross-Site Scripting, directly applies to this vulnerability, as it represents a classic injection flaw where untrusted data is improperly handled in web applications. From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risk to organizations relying on Jira for issue tracking and project management, as successful exploitation could allow attackers to access sensitive project data, modify workflow configurations, or escalate privileges within the Jira environment.
The impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it can enable attackers to perform actions that compromise the integrity and confidentiality of the entire Jira instance. Attackers could potentially steal user sessions, modify critical workflow definitions, or gain access to sensitive project information that would otherwise be restricted. The vulnerability's presence in multiple version ranges suggests that organizations running Jira Server or Data Center needed to carefully evaluate their deployment status and apply patches across affected release branches. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability aligns with techniques such as T1531 (Create or Modify System Process) and T1071.004 (Application Layer Protocol: DNS) when attackers use the compromised environment to further their objectives. Organizations should prioritize patching this vulnerability by upgrading to versions 8.5.11, 8.13.3, or 8.15.0, respectively, while also implementing additional security measures such as input validation monitoring and web application firewalls to reduce the attack surface.
Mitigation strategies should include immediate deployment of the vendor-provided security patches, which address the root cause by implementing proper input sanitization and output encoding mechanisms. Organizations should also consider implementing Content Security Policy headers to prevent execution of unauthorized scripts, conducting regular security assessments of their Jira installations, and monitoring for suspicious activities in their Jira logs. Additionally, user education regarding phishing and social engineering attacks that might attempt to exploit this vulnerability in conjunction with other attack vectors remains crucial. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining up-to-date security practices and the potential consequences of running unsupported software versions in enterprise environments where security is paramount.