CVE-2023-40336 in Folders Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 08/16/2023
A cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in Jenkins Folders Plugin 6.846.v23698686f0f6 and earlier allows attackers to copy folders.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/10/2023
The cross-site request forgery vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-40336 resides within the Jenkins Folders Plugin, specifically affecting versions prior to 6.846.v23698686f0f6. This security flaw represents a critical weakness in the plugin's authentication and authorization mechanisms, allowing unauthenticated or unauthorized attackers to manipulate folder operations through crafted malicious requests. The vulnerability specifically enables attackers to copy folders within the Jenkins environment, potentially leading to unauthorized access to sensitive build configurations, credentials, and project data. The issue stems from the plugin's failure to properly validate and verify the authenticity of requests originating from legitimate users, creating a pathway for malicious actors to execute unauthorized actions against the Jenkins instance. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-352, which specifically addresses cross-site request forgery conditions where web applications fail to validate that requests originate from legitimate users. This weakness directly impacts the integrity and confidentiality of Jenkins environments by allowing attackers to manipulate folder structures without proper authorization, potentially leading to information disclosure and privilege escalation. The attack vector typically involves tricking a logged-in user into visiting a malicious website or clicking on a compromised link that automatically submits a forged request to the Jenkins instance, exploiting the absence of proper CSRF tokens or validation mechanisms in the folder copying functionality.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability exploits the fundamental principle that web applications should verify the origin of requests to prevent unauthorized actions. In the context of Jenkins Folders Plugin, when a user attempts to copy a folder, the application should validate that the request originates from the legitimate user's session and contains appropriate authentication tokens. However, the vulnerability allows attackers to construct malicious requests that bypass these validation checks, enabling them to perform folder copying operations without proper authorization. The flaw manifests because the plugin does not adequately implement anti-CSRF measures such as synchronizer tokens, origin validation, or referer header checks during folder copying operations. This weakness is particularly concerning in enterprise environments where Jenkins instances often contain sensitive build configurations, deployment scripts, and access credentials that attackers could leverage for further compromise. The vulnerability can be exploited by an attacker who has knowledge of the target Jenkins instance's structure and can craft requests that appear legitimate to the system. The impact extends beyond simple folder manipulation as it could enable attackers to gain insights into the organization's build processes, potentially leading to more sophisticated attacks targeting other components within the CI/CD pipeline. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability aligns with T1078.004, which covers valid accounts with the use of stolen or compromised credentials, as unauthorized folder copying could provide attackers with information needed to escalate privileges or access restricted resources.
The operational impact of CVE-2023-40336 extends significantly beyond the immediate folder copying functionality, as it represents a gateway to broader system compromise within Jenkins environments. Organizations utilizing affected versions of the Folders Plugin face potential exposure to unauthorized folder duplication, which could result in data leakage, configuration tampering, and disruption of legitimate build processes. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to create copies of sensitive folders containing build scripts, deployment configurations, or environment variables that might contain credentials or access tokens. The vulnerability affects the overall security posture of Jenkins installations by weakening the trust model between the application and its users, particularly when users are logged into the system. The risk is compounded in environments where Jenkins serves as a central component of continuous integration and deployment workflows, as unauthorized folder manipulation could disrupt automated processes or provide attackers with opportunities to inject malicious code into the build pipeline. Organizations should consider that this vulnerability could be exploited in combination with other weaknesses within the Jenkins ecosystem, potentially leading to more severe consequences such as privilege escalation or lateral movement within the network infrastructure. The attack requires minimal technical expertise to execute, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited by threat actors with varying levels of sophistication. Security teams must recognize that successful exploitation could result in unauthorized access to production environments, potentially leading to service disruption, data exfiltration, or compromise of the entire CI/CD infrastructure.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2023-40336 primarily focus on immediate version upgrades to Jenkins Folders Plugin 6.846.v23698686f0f6 or later, which contain the necessary patches to address the CSRF validation gaps. Organizations should implement comprehensive patch management processes to ensure all Jenkins plugins remain current with security updates, particularly those that handle sensitive operations within the CI/CD environment. The remediation process should include thorough testing of the updated plugin to ensure compatibility with existing Jenkins configurations and build processes. Additionally, organizations should review their Jenkins security configurations to implement additional layers of protection such as implementing proper CSRF token validation, enabling secure session management, and configuring appropriate access controls for folder operations. Network-level protections such as web application firewalls and intrusion detection systems can provide additional monitoring capabilities to detect suspicious folder manipulation activities. Security teams should also consider implementing principle of least privilege access controls for Jenkins folders, limiting the ability to copy or manipulate folders to only authorized personnel. Regular security audits of Jenkins configurations and plugin installations should be conducted to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities across the entire CI/CD infrastructure. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date security practices within development environments, as these systems often contain sensitive information and serve as potential entry points for attackers targeting the broader enterprise infrastructure.