CVE-2023-32991 in SAML Single Sign On Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 05/16/2023
A cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in Jenkins SAML Single Sign On(SSO) Plugin 2.0.2 and earlier allows attackers to send an HTTP request to an attacker-specified URL and parse the response as XML, or parse a local file on the Jenkins controller as XML.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/26/2025
The CVE-2023-32991 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery weakness within the Jenkins SAML Single Sign On plugin version 2.0.2 and earlier. This flaw specifically targets the authentication and authorization mechanisms that organizations rely upon to secure their continuous integration and delivery pipelines. The vulnerability exists in the plugin's handling of SAML responses and demonstrates how insufficient input validation can lead to severe security implications in enterprise automation environments where Jenkins serves as a cornerstone for software development workflows.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability stems from inadequate protection mechanisms that fail to validate the origin of SAML requests and responses. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting malicious requests that appear to originate from legitimate SAML endpoints while actually directing the Jenkins controller to process attacker-controlled XML data. The vulnerability allows for arbitrary HTTP requests to be sent to specified URLs and subsequent XML parsing of the responses, creating a pathway for attackers to potentially extract sensitive information or manipulate the Jenkins environment. Additionally, the ability to parse local files on the Jenkins controller as XML introduces an even more dangerous attack vector where local file inclusion vulnerabilities could be leveraged to access system files or configuration data.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to organizations relying on Jenkins for their CI/CD processes. The exploitation of this CSRF flaw could result in unauthorized access to Jenkins administrative functions, enabling attackers to modify build configurations, inject malicious code into the pipeline, or escalate privileges within the Jenkins environment. The SAML plugin's role in enterprise authentication makes this vulnerability particularly dangerous as it could potentially allow attackers to bypass authentication mechanisms entirely, gaining access to sensitive development environments and production systems. Organizations with Jenkins controllers running vulnerable versions face potential data breaches, supply chain compromises, and disruption of critical software development workflows.
Security professionals should implement immediate mitigations including upgrading to the patched version of the Jenkins SAML SSO plugin and ensuring that all Jenkins instances are running the latest stable releases. Network segmentation and firewall rules should be configured to restrict access to Jenkins controllers from untrusted networks, while additional authentication layers such as IP whitelisting or additional security headers should be implemented. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses cross-site request forgery conditions, and represents a significant concern from the ATT&CK framework perspective under the T1566 technique for credential access through social engineering and T1078 for valid accounts usage. Organizations should also conduct thorough security assessments of their Jenkins environments to identify any other potentially vulnerable plugins or configurations that might be susceptible to similar exploitation patterns.