CVE-2023-37957 in Pipeline restFul API Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 07/12/2023
A cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in Jenkins Pipeline restFul API Plugin 0.11 and earlier allows attackers to connect to an attacker-specified URL, capturing a newly generated JCLI token.
Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/02/2023
This cross-site request forgery vulnerability exists within the Jenkins Pipeline restFul API Plugin version 0.11 and earlier, representing a critical security flaw that undermines the integrity of the Jenkins automation platform. The vulnerability allows authenticated attackers to manipulate the plugin's RESTful API endpoints to establish connections to arbitrary URLs specified by the attacker, creating a dangerous vector for token harvesting and unauthorized access exploitation. The flaw stems from insufficient validation of request origins and lack of proper anti-CSRF token implementation within the plugin's API handling mechanisms. According to CWE-352, this vulnerability directly maps to Cross-Site Request Forgery, where the attacker can trick authenticated users into performing unintended actions against the target system. The attack scenario involves an attacker crafting malicious requests that leverage the victim's authenticated session to initiate connections to attacker-controlled endpoints, enabling the capture of newly generated JCLI tokens that would otherwise be protected by proper session management.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through manipulation of the plugin's API endpoints that handle JCLI token generation and management. When a victim user accesses a malicious page or interacts with crafted requests, the vulnerable plugin fails to validate that the requests originate from legitimate sources within the Jenkins environment. This allows the attacker to specify arbitrary URLs that the plugin will connect to, effectively enabling the capture of authentication tokens that could be used for privilege escalation or unauthorized system access. The vulnerability particularly affects Jenkins installations where the Pipeline restFul API Plugin is enabled and configured, as the flaw exists in the core API handling logic rather than in user-facing interfaces. The impact extends beyond simple token capture since JCLI tokens typically provide administrative privileges within Jenkins environments, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous for organizations relying on Jenkins for continuous integration and deployment processes.
The operational impact of this vulnerability creates significant risks for Jenkins environments, particularly in enterprise settings where Jenkins serves as a central automation hub for development and deployment workflows. Attackers can leverage this flaw to gain unauthorized access to Jenkins systems, potentially compromising entire CI/CD pipelines and enabling them to execute malicious code, modify build processes, or access sensitive source code repositories. The vulnerability's persistence across multiple Jenkins versions indicates a fundamental flaw in the plugin's security design that affects a broad user base. Organizations using Jenkins for critical automation tasks face potential disruption of their development workflows, data integrity compromise, and possible regulatory compliance violations. The attack surface is particularly concerning because Jenkins administrators often grant elevated privileges to the plugin, making captured JCLI tokens highly valuable for attackers seeking to escalate their privileges within the system. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for credential access through phishing and T1078.004 for valid accounts through legitimate credentials.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate action including upgrading the Pipeline restFul API Plugin to version 0.12 or later where the CSRF protection mechanisms have been properly implemented. Organizations should also implement additional security controls such as enabling Jenkins' built-in CSRF protection mechanisms, restricting API access through network segmentation, and implementing proper access controls for the plugin's endpoints. Security teams should conduct comprehensive audits of Jenkins installations to identify all affected versions and ensure proper patch management processes are in place. The recommended approach includes disabling unnecessary API endpoints, implementing proper input validation for all plugin interactions, and establishing monitoring for suspicious API access patterns. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls to detect and block malicious requests attempting to exploit this vulnerability, as well as establishing incident response procedures specifically addressing credential harvesting attacks. Regular security assessments of Jenkins environments should include verification of plugin versions and security configurations to prevent similar vulnerabilities from persisting in the system infrastructure.