CVE-2018-1999042: Jenkins core Deserialization Of Untrusted Data Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-28p3-mchr-9frj
Share
CVSS 5.3
CWE-502
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2018-1999042 is a MODERATE (CVSS 5.3) deserialization of untrusted data vulnerability (CWE-502: Deserialization of Untrusted Data) affecting Jenkins core libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves deserialization of untrusted data in jenkins. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.121.3, 2.138.

CVE-2018-1999042 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2018-1999042
GHSA Identifier GHSA-28p3-mchr-9frj
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 5.3
CWE Classification CWE-502: Deserialization of Untrusted Data
Affected Product Jenkins core
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 5.3

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:L/I:N/A:N).

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 Low (C:L)
Integrity None (I:N)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2018-1999042

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-2018-1999042, 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-502: Deserialization of Untrusted Data, where the product deserializes untrusted data without sufficiently ensuring that the resulting data will be valid. 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 vulnerability exists in Jenkins 2.137 and earlier, 2.121.2 and earlier in XStream2.java that allows attackers to have Jenkins resolve a domain name when deserializing an instance of java.net.URL.

CVE-2018-1999042 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-2018-1999042 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-1999042
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/jenkinsci/jenkins/commit/727d58f690abf64f543407e1de3545eca76ad30e
Jenkins core Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/jenkinsci/jenkins
Jenkins core Security Information SECURITY
https://jenkins.io/security/advisory/2018-08-15/#SECURITY-637

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2018-1999042?
CVE-2018-1999042 is a security vulnerability in Jenkins core involving Deserialization of Untrusted Data in Jenkins under CWE-502: Deserialization of Untrusted Data.
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-2018-1999042?
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-2018-1999042?
CVE-2018-1999042 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.3 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2018-1999042?
CVE-2018-1999042 is classified under CWE-502: Deserialization of Untrusted Data (The product deserializes untrusted data without sufficiently ensuring that the resulting data will be valid.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2018-1999042?
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-28p3-mchr-9frj",
  "modified" : "2022-06-28T23:42:37Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-14T01:04:56Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2018-1999042" ],
  "summary" : "Deserialization of Untrusted Data in Jenkins",
  "details" : "A vulnerability exists in Jenkins 2.137 and earlier, 2.121.2 and earlier in XStream2.java that allows attackers to have Jenkins resolve a domain name when deserializing an instance of java.net.URL.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N"
  } ],
  "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-2018-1999042"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/jenkinsci/jenkins/commit/727d58f690abf64f543407e1de3545eca76ad30e"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/jenkinsci/jenkins"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://jenkins.io/security/advisory/2018-08-15/#SECURITY-637"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-502" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2022-06-28T23:42:37Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2018-08-23T18:29:00Z"
  }
}