CVE-2023-22516 in Bamboo Data Center
Summary
by MITRE • 11/21/2023
This High severity RCE (Remote Code Execution) vulnerability was introduced in versions 8.1.0, 8.2.0, 9.0.0, 9.1.0, 9.2.0, and 9.3.0 of Bamboo Data Center and Server.
This RCE (Remote Code Execution) vulnerability, with a CVSS Score of 8.5, allows an authenticated attacker to execute arbitrary code which has high impact to confidentiality, high impact to integrity, high impact to availability, and requires no user interaction.
Atlassian recommends that Bamboo Data Center and Server customers upgrade to latest version, if you are unable to do so, upgrade your instance to one of the specified supported fixed versions: Bamboo Data Center and Server 9.2: Upgrade to a release greater than or equal to 9.2.7. JDK 1.8u121+ should be used in case Java 8 used to run Bamboo Data Center and Server. See Bamboo 9.2 Upgrade notes (https://confluence.atlassian.com/bambooreleases/bamboo-9-2-upgrade-notes-1207179212.html)
Bamboo Data Center and Server 9.3: Upgrade to a release greater than or equal to 9.3.4
See the release notes ([https://confluence.atlassian.com/bambooreleases/bamboo-release-notes-1189793869.html]). You can download the latest version of Bamboo Data Center and Server from the download center ([https://www.atlassian.com/software/bamboo/download-archives]).
This vulnerability was discovered by a private user and reported via our Bug Bounty program
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/15/2023
This remote code execution vulnerability in Atlassian Bamboo Data Center and Server represents a critical security flaw that affects multiple major versions including 8.1.0, 8.2.0, 9.0.0, 9.1.0, 9.2.0, and 9.3.0. The vulnerability carries a CVSS score of 8.5, indicating high severity with significant impacts across all three pillars of the CIA triad. The flaw specifically allows authenticated attackers to execute arbitrary code remotely without requiring any user interaction, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited by threat actors who have gained access to legitimate user credentials through various means such as credential theft, social engineering, or other initial compromise techniques. The vulnerability's presence in these widely used continuous integration and deployment platforms creates substantial risk for organizations relying on Bamboo for their software development workflows.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from improper input validation and sanitization mechanisms within the Bamboo application's authentication and execution pathways. When authenticated users submit specific payloads through the application's interface, the system fails to properly validate or sanitize the input before processing, allowing malicious code to be executed within the application's runtime environment. This type of flaw aligns with CWE-74, which describes "Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection')", and can be categorized under ATT&CK technique T1059.001 for command and script injection. The vulnerability's exploitation requires only authentication, which significantly lowers the attack threshold compared to other remote code execution vulnerabilities that might require additional reconnaissance or privilege escalation steps.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple code execution, as it provides attackers with complete control over the affected Bamboo instances. This control enables adversaries to access sensitive build artifacts, source code repositories, deployment configurations, and potentially compromise the entire CI/CD pipeline. Organizations may face data breaches, code tampering, unauthorized deployments, and service disruption that can affect multiple development teams and production environments. The vulnerability's presence in versions 9.2 and 9.3 specifically means that organizations running these versions are particularly at risk, as these represent the most recent major releases where the flaw was introduced. The requirement for Java 8 with JDK 1.8u121+ further complicates remediation efforts for organizations still operating legacy Java environments, as they must ensure proper JDK versions are installed alongside the software upgrade.
Mitigation strategies should prioritize immediate upgrading to the recommended fixed versions, specifically 9.2.7 or later for version 9.2, and 9.3.4 or later for version 9.3. Organizations unable to perform immediate upgrades should implement network-level restrictions to limit access to Bamboo instances, enforce strict authentication controls, and monitor for suspicious activity through enhanced logging and monitoring solutions. The vulnerability's discovery through Atlassian's Bug Bounty program demonstrates the importance of community-driven security research and the value of coordinated vulnerability disclosure processes. Organizations should also consider implementing additional security controls such as web application firewalls, network segmentation, and principle of least privilege access controls to reduce the potential impact of similar vulnerabilities in their environments. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify other potential weaknesses in the CI/CD infrastructure that could be exploited by threat actors.