CVE-2022-36887 in Job Configuration History Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 07/27/2022
A cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in Jenkins Job Configuration History Plugin 1155.v28a_46a_cc06a_5 and earlier allows attackers to delete entries from job, agent, and system configuration history, or restore older versions of job, agent, and system configurations.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/27/2022
The CVE-2022-36887 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within the Jenkins Job Configuration History Plugin affecting versions up to 1155.v28a_46a_cc06a_5. This vulnerability resides in the plugin's insufficient validation of HTTP requests, specifically targeting the configuration history management functionality that tracks changes to jobs, agents, and system configurations. The flaw allows unauthenticated or authenticated attackers to manipulate the plugin's REST endpoints through crafted requests that appear legitimate to the Jenkins server, exploiting the absence of proper anti-CSRF tokens or request origin validation mechanisms.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the plugin's failure to implement robust CSRF protection measures in its web endpoints. When users interact with the job configuration history features, the plugin processes requests to delete historical entries or restore previous configuration versions without validating the request source or ensuring proper authentication tokens. This weakness aligns with CWE-352, which categorizes Cross-Site Request Forgery vulnerabilities as those that permit unauthorized commands from a user that the web application trusts. The vulnerability operates at the application layer, specifically targeting the plugin's configuration management interfaces that are accessible through standard HTTP methods.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data manipulation to potentially compromise the integrity and availability of critical Jenkins infrastructure. Attackers could delete historical configuration entries, effectively erasing audit trails that document configuration changes over time, which undermines compliance requirements and forensic capabilities. The ability to restore older configuration versions could also allow attackers to revert systems to previously compromised states, potentially reintroducing malicious configurations or exploiting known vulnerabilities in older versions. This vulnerability directly impacts the security posture of Jenkins installations by weakening the configuration management controls that organizations rely upon for maintaining system integrity and tracking changes.
Organizations utilizing Jenkins with the affected Job Configuration History Plugin face significant risks including potential unauthorized access to sensitive configuration data, disruption of continuous integration processes, and compromise of system audit capabilities. The vulnerability's impact is particularly concerning in environments where configuration history serves as a critical security control for tracking changes, implementing change management procedures, and maintaining compliance with regulatory requirements. Attackers could exploit this flaw to undermine the organization's ability to monitor configuration changes, potentially enabling more sophisticated attacks that leverage the knowledge of historical configuration states.
The recommended mitigations for CVE-2022-36887 include immediate upgrade to the latest version of the Jenkins Job Configuration History Plugin that addresses the CSRF vulnerability. Organizations should also implement additional security controls such as restricting access to Jenkins administrative interfaces, implementing network segmentation, and deploying web application firewalls to monitor and filter suspicious requests. The principle of least privilege should be enforced by limiting administrative access to Jenkins and ensuring that only authorized personnel can perform configuration history modifications. Additionally, regular security assessments of Jenkins plugins and continuous monitoring of security advisories should be implemented to prevent similar vulnerabilities from affecting the infrastructure. This vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining up-to-date software components and implementing comprehensive security controls that protect against both known and emerging threats. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under T1566, which involves the exploitation of vulnerabilities in web applications, and T1485, which covers data manipulation through the deletion or modification of configuration data. Organizations should also consider implementing automated patch management processes and conducting regular vulnerability assessments to identify and remediate similar issues across their Jenkins environments.