CVE-2023-49656 in MATLAB Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 11/29/2023
Jenkins MATLAB Plugin 2.11.0 and earlier does not configure its XML parser to prevent XML external entity (XXE) attacks.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/20/2023
The Jenkins MATLAB Plugin vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-49656 represents a critical security flaw that exposes systems to XML external entity attacks. This vulnerability affects versions 2.11.0 and earlier of the MATLAB Plugin, which is commonly used within Jenkins continuous integration environments to facilitate MATLAB script execution and integration. The flaw stems from insufficient configuration of the XML parser component within the plugin, creating an attack surface that adversaries can exploit to perform various malicious activities through crafted XML input.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the improper configuration of XML parsers that fail to disable external entity resolution and other dangerous XML processing features. When the MATLAB Plugin processes XML data, it does not enforce secure parser settings that would prevent the resolution of external entities, thereby allowing attackers to inject malicious XML content that can trigger unauthorized resource access, data exfiltration, or denial of service conditions. This configuration oversight enables attackers to leverage XML external entity processing to access local files, perform server-side request forgery attacks, or conduct port scanning activities against internal network resources.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation or data theft, as it can enable attackers to gain unauthorized access to sensitive information stored within the Jenkins environment. Attackers can exploit this weakness to read arbitrary files on the server where Jenkins is running, potentially accessing configuration files, credentials, or other sensitive data that may be stored in XML format. The vulnerability also poses risks for server-side request forgery attacks, where malicious XML content could be used to make requests to internal services that would normally be restricted. Additionally, the XXE vulnerability can facilitate denial of service conditions by consuming excessive system resources through malformed XML processing.
Organizations utilizing Jenkins with the affected MATLAB Plugin should immediately implement mitigation strategies to address this vulnerability. The primary recommendation involves upgrading to a patched version of the MATLAB Plugin that properly configures XML parsers to disable external entity resolution and other dangerous XML processing features. Security teams should also consider implementing network-level controls and monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts, including unusual XML processing patterns or attempts to access restricted resources. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-611 (Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference) and represents a significant risk under the ATT&CK framework category of T1213 (Data from Information Repositories) and T1071.004 (Application Layer Protocol: DNS) for potential network reconnaissance activities.
This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of secure XML processing configuration in enterprise software applications and highlights the need for comprehensive security testing of third-party plugins within CI/CD environments. The flaw represents a common pattern in software development where security considerations are often overlooked during the implementation phase, particularly in components that handle external data processing. Organizations should establish robust patch management procedures and security scanning protocols to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities across their software ecosystems, ensuring that XML parsers and other data processing components are properly configured according to security best practices. The vulnerability also underscores the importance of following secure coding guidelines and conducting thorough security reviews of plugin components before deployment in production environments, particularly in critical infrastructure and development platforms like Jenkins.