CVE-2024-47806 in OpenId Connect Authentication Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 10/02/2024
Jenkins OpenId Connect Authentication Plugin 4.354.v321ce67a_1de8 and earlier does not check the `aud` (Audience) claim of an ID Token, allowing attackers to subvert the authentication flow, potentially gaining administrator access to Jenkins.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/06/2024
The Jenkins OpenId Connect Authentication Plugin vulnerability represents a critical security flaw that undermines the integrity of the authentication process through a missing validation mechanism. This vulnerability affects versions 4.354.v321ce67a_1de8 and earlier, where the plugin fails to properly validate the audience claim within the OpenID Connect ID token. The absence of this crucial validation step creates an exploitable condition that allows malicious actors to manipulate the authentication flow by presenting forged tokens that appear legitimate to the system. The flaw directly impacts the security posture of Jenkins installations that rely on OpenID Connect for authentication, potentially enabling unauthorized access to administrative functions.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the plugin's failure to enforce the audience claim validation as specified in the OpenID Connect core specification. In proper OpenID Connect implementations, the audience claim serves as a critical security control that ensures tokens are intended for the specific relying party. When the `aud` claim is not validated, attackers can craft tokens where the audience field references a different service or even a generic value, bypassing the intended security boundaries. This validation gap creates a pathway for attackers to exploit the authentication mechanism by substituting their own tokens that satisfy the basic token format requirements but lack proper audience verification.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple authentication bypass to potentially enable complete administrative compromise of Jenkins instances. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability could gain full control over the Jenkins server, including the ability to modify build configurations, access sensitive source code repositories, manipulate pipeline executions, and potentially escalate privileges to system-level access. The consequences are particularly severe in environments where Jenkins serves as a central automation hub for continuous integration and deployment processes, as administrative access would provide attackers with the ability to disrupt operations, steal intellectual property, or establish persistent access points within the organization's infrastructure.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-347, which specifically addresses the lack of proper validation of a cryptographic signature or authentication token. The flaw also corresponds to ATT&CK technique T1078.004, which covers valid accounts used for lateral movement and privilege escalation. Organizations using the affected plugin version face significant risk of credential compromise and unauthorized access to their CI/CD environments. The attack surface is particularly broad since OpenID Connect is widely adopted for enterprise authentication, making this vulnerability potentially exploitable across multiple organizations that have not yet updated their Jenkins plugins. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper token validation in authentication protocols and highlights the need for robust security controls in identity and access management systems.
Organizations should immediately upgrade to the patched version of the Jenkins OpenId Connect Authentication Plugin to remediate this vulnerability. Additionally, system administrators should conduct comprehensive audits of their Jenkins configurations to identify any instances that may be vulnerable, and implement additional monitoring for suspicious authentication patterns. The mitigation strategy should include verifying that all authentication plugins are kept up to date and that proper security configurations are enforced across all identity providers. Regular security assessments of authentication mechanisms and adherence to security best practices for identity management will help prevent similar vulnerabilities from emerging in other components of the system architecture.