CVE-2021-41308 in JIRA Server
Summary
by MITRE • 10/26/2021
Affected versions of Atlassian Jira Server and Data Center allow authenticated yet non-administrator remote attackers to edit the File Replication settings via a Broken Access Control vulnerability in the `ReplicationSettings!default.jspa` endpoint. The affected versions are before version 8.6.0, from version 8.7.0 before 8.13.12, and from version 8.14.0 before 8.20.1.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/30/2021
The vulnerability CVE-2021-41308 represents a critical broken access control flaw within Atlassian Jira Server and Data Center platforms that undermines the security model of these widely deployed enterprise issue tracking systems. This vulnerability specifically affects the replication settings functionality, which is a core component of Jira's data management infrastructure. The flaw exists in the `ReplicationSettings!default.jspa` endpoint, where proper access controls fail to validate user permissions adequately, allowing unauthorized individuals to manipulate critical system configurations. The vulnerability impacts multiple version ranges including pre-8.6.0 releases, versions 8.7.0 through 8.13.11, and 8.14.0 through 8.20.0, indicating a prolonged period of exposure that could have enabled extensive exploitation across various organizational deployments. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-285 access control weakness category, specifically manifesting as an improper authorization check that permits unauthorized modifications to system settings that should only be accessible to administrators. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this as a privilege escalation technique where attackers can leverage existing authenticated sessions to gain elevated permissions within the application's configuration management interface.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access, as replication settings control how data flows between Jira instances and can potentially enable attackers to manipulate data synchronization processes, create backdoors for persistent access, or disrupt critical business operations. An attacker with a valid user account, even without administrative privileges, could modify replication configurations to redirect data to malicious endpoints, establish unauthorized data transfer channels, or corrupt the replication process itself. This capability creates significant risk for organizations that rely on Jira's replication features for disaster recovery, data backup, or cross-instance synchronization. The vulnerability's exploitation could lead to data integrity issues, unauthorized data exfiltration, or the establishment of persistent access points within the Jira ecosystem. Organizations using Jira Server and Data Center in production environments face potential compromise of their issue tracking infrastructure, which serves as a critical business tool for project management, bug tracking, and collaboration across development teams.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate implementation of the vendor-provided security patches for all affected versions, with particular attention to the specific version ranges mentioned in the CVE description. Organizations should also implement network-level access controls to restrict access to the affected Jira endpoints, deploy monitoring solutions to detect unauthorized configuration changes, and conduct thorough security assessments of existing replication settings to identify any potential exploitation. The remediation process should include validating that user permissions are properly enforced through the application's built-in access control mechanisms, implementing network segmentation to limit access to administrative endpoints, and establishing robust audit logging for configuration changes. Additionally, organizations should review their overall Jira security posture, including user access management, session handling, and privilege assignment policies to ensure that the principle of least privilege is properly enforced throughout the system. Security teams should also consider implementing automated vulnerability scanning tools that can identify similar access control weaknesses in other application components and ensure that proper security controls are in place to prevent similar issues from occurring in the future.