CVE-2016-3725: Jenkins core Missing Permissions Check Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-59fm-6x3q-q3q5
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CVSS 4.3
CWE-280
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2016-3725 is a MODERATE (CVSS 4.3) missing permissions check vulnerability (CWE-280: Improper Handling of Insufficient Permissions or Privileges) affecting Jenkins core libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves missing permissions check in jenkins core. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.3.

CVE-2016-3725 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2016-3725
GHSA Identifier GHSA-59fm-6x3q-q3q5
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 4.3
CWE Classification CWE-280: Improper Handling of Insufficient Permissions or Privileges
Affected Product Jenkins core
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 4.3

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

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

How to Fix CVE-2016-3725

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: 2.3 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.jenkins-ci.main</groupId>
    <artifactId>jenkins-core</artifactId>
    <version>2.3</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-2016-3725, 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 2.3), 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-280: Improper Handling of Insufficient Permissions or Privileges, where the product does not handle or incorrectly handles when it has insufficient privileges to access resources or functionality as specified by their permissions. this may cause it to follow unexpected code paths that may leave the product in an invalid state. 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

Jenkins before 2.3 and LTS before 1.651.2 allows remote authenticated users to trigger updating of update site metadata by leveraging a missing permissions check. NOTE: this issue can be combined with DNS cache poisoning to cause a denial of service (service disruption).

CVE-2016-3725 Affected Jenkins core Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.3
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.jenkins-ci.main:jenkins-core
maven/org.jenkins-ci.main/jenkins-core
Maven
< 2.3
2.3

References

NVD — CVE-2016-3725 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-3725
access.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2016:12... WEB
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2016:1206
Jenkins core Security Information SECURITY
https://wiki.jenkins-ci.org/display/SECURITY/Jenkins+Security+Advisory+2016-05-11
Jenkins core Security Information SECURITY
https://www.cloudbees.com/jenkins-security-advisory-2016-05-11
rhn.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2016-17... WEB
http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2016-1773.html

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2016-3725?
CVE-2016-3725 is a security vulnerability in Jenkins core involving Missing permissions check in Jenkins Core under CWE-280: Improper Handling of Insufficient Permissions or Privileges.
Which Jenkins core versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.3 across affected packages: org.jenkins-ci.main:jenkins-core.
What version fixes CVE-2016-3725?
Upgrading to 2.3 (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 2.3. Upgrade your dependency to 2.3 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2016-3725?
CVE-2016-3725 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 4.3 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2016-3725?
CVE-2016-3725 is classified under CWE-280: Improper Handling of Insufficient Permissions or Privileges (The product does not handle or incorrectly handles when it has insufficient privileges to access resources or functionality as specified by their permissions. This may cause it to follow unexpected code paths that may leave the product in an invalid state.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2016-3725?
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-59fm-6x3q-q3q5",
  "modified" : "2022-11-02T00:40:54Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-14T03:57:44Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2016-3725" ],
  "summary" : "Missing permissions check in Jenkins Core",
  "details" : "Jenkins before 2.3 and LTS before 1.651.2 allows remote authenticated users to trigger updating of update site metadata by leveraging a missing permissions check. NOTE: this issue can be combined with DNS cache poisoning to cause a denial of service (service disruption).",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.jenkins-ci.main:jenkins-core"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.3"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-3725"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2016:1206"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://wiki.jenkins-ci.org/display/SECURITY/Jenkins+Security+Advisory+2016-05-11"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.cloudbees.com/jenkins-security-advisory-2016-05-11"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2016-1773.html"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-280" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2022-11-02T00:40:54Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2016-05-17T14:08:00Z"
  }
}