CVE-2018-1999043: Jenkins core Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-2632-h32j-6rg9
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CVSS 7.5
CWE-772
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2018-1999043 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.5) remote code execution vulnerability (CWE-772: Missing Release of Resource after Effective Lifetime) affecting Jenkins core libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves missing release of resource after effective lifetime in jenkins. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.121.3, 2.138.

CVE-2018-1999043 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2018-1999043
GHSA Identifier GHSA-2632-h32j-6rg9
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.5
CWE Classification CWE-772: Missing Release of Resource after Effective Lifetime
Affected Product Jenkins core
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.5

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality None (C:N)
Integrity None (I:N)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2018-1999043

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Jenkins core dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

org.jenkins-ci.main:jenkins-core fixed: 2.121.3 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.jenkins-ci.main</groupId>
    <artifactId>jenkins-core</artifactId>
    <version>2.121.3</version>
</dependency>
org.jenkins-ci.main:jenkins-core fixed: 2.138 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.jenkins-ci.main</groupId>
    <artifactId>jenkins-core</artifactId>
    <version>2.138</version>
</dependency>
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.jenkins-ci.main

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2018-1999043, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.jenkins-ci.main

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Jenkins core in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 2.121.3), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.jenkins-ci.main command inspects the resolved dependency graph declared in your project's POM files; it does not perform automated security scanning or inspect runtime dynamic classpaths. Always verify runtime container classpaths and shaded JARs.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-772: Missing Release of Resource after Effective Lifetime, where the product does not release a resource after its effective lifetime has ended, i.e., after the resource is no longer needed. In Jenkins core, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

A denial of service vulnerability exists in Jenkins 2.137 and earlier, 2.121.2 and earlier in BasicAuthenticationFilter.java, BasicHeaderApiTokenAuthenticator.java that allows attackers to create ephemeral in-memory user records by attempting to log in using invalid credentials.

CVE-2018-1999043 Affected Jenkins core Versions

2 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.121.32.138
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.jenkins-ci.main:jenkins-core
maven/org.jenkins-ci.main/jenkins-core
Maven
< 2.121.3
2.121.3
org.jenkins-ci.main:jenkins-core
maven/org.jenkins-ci.main/jenkins-core
Maven
≥ 2.122
< 2.138
2.138

References

NVD — CVE-2018-1999043 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-1999043
Jenkins core Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/jenkinsci/jenkins
Jenkins core Security Information SECURITY
https://jenkins.io/security/advisory/2018-08-15/#SECURITY-672

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2018-1999043?
CVE-2018-1999043 is a security vulnerability in Jenkins core involving Missing Release of Resource after Effective Lifetime in Jenkins under CWE-772: Missing Release of Resource after Effective Lifetime.
Which Jenkins core versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.121.3, 2.138 across affected packages: org.jenkins-ci.main:jenkins-core.
What version fixes CVE-2018-1999043?
Upgrading to 2.121.3, 2.138 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is jenkins-core affected?
Yes, org.jenkins-ci.main:jenkins-core is affected in releases prior to 2.121.3, 2.138. Upgrade your dependency to 2.121.3, 2.138 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2018-1999043?
CVE-2018-1999043 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2018-1999043?
CVE-2018-1999043 is classified under CWE-772: Missing Release of Resource after Effective Lifetime (The product does not release a resource after its effective lifetime has ended, i.e., after the resource is no longer needed.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2018-1999043?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.jenkins-ci.main'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-2632-h32j-6rg9",
  "modified" : "2022-06-28T23:43:04Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-13T01:50:55Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2018-1999043" ],
  "summary" : "Missing Release of Resource after Effective Lifetime in Jenkins",
  "details" : "A denial of service vulnerability exists in Jenkins 2.137 and earlier, 2.121.2 and earlier in BasicAuthenticationFilter.java, BasicHeaderApiTokenAuthenticator.java that allows attackers to create ephemeral in-memory user records by attempting to log in using invalid credentials.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.jenkins-ci.main:jenkins-core"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.121.3"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.jenkins-ci.main:jenkins-core"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "2.122"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.138"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-1999043"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/jenkinsci/jenkins"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://jenkins.io/security/advisory/2018-08-15/#SECURITY-672"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-772" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2022-06-28T23:43:04Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2018-08-23T18:29:00Z"
  }
}