CVE-2020-2160

An extension point in Jenkins allows selectively disabling cross-site request forgery (CSRF) protection for specific URLs.

Implementations of that extension point received a different representation of the URL path than the Stapler web framework uses to dispatch requests in Jenkins 2.227 and earlier, LTS 2.204.5 and earlier. This discrepancy allowed attackers to craft URLs that would bypass the CSRF protection of any target URL.

Jenkins now uses the same representation of the URL path to decide whether CSRF protection is needed for a given URL as the Stapler web framework uses.

In case of problems, administrators can disable this security fix by setting the system property hudson.security.csrf.CrumbFilter.UNPROCESSED_PATHINFO to true.

As an additional safeguard, semicolon (;) characters in the path part of a URL are now banned by default. Administrators can disable this protection by setting the system property jenkins.security.SuspiciousRequestFilter.allowSemicolonsInPath to true.

A victim's authenticated browser session is used to submit forged requests to an application that cannot distinguish them from legitimate ones. Typical impact: state-changing actions performed as the victim without their consent.

CVE-2020-2160 has a CVSS score of 8.8 (High). The vector is network-reachable, no privileges required, and user interaction required. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (2.204.6, 2.228); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Kodem intelligence

1. What is CVE-2020-2160? CVE-2020-2160 is a high-severity cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in org.jenkins-ci.main:jenkins-core (maven), affecting versions <= 2.204.5. It is fixed in 2.204.6, 2.228. A victim's authenticated browser session is used to submit forged requests to an application that cannot distinguish them from legitimate ones.
2. How severe is CVE-2020-2160? CVE-2020-2160 has a CVSS score of 8.8 (High). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
3. Which versions of org.jenkins-ci.main:jenkins-core are affected by CVE-2020-2160? org.jenkins-ci.main:jenkins-core (maven) versions <= 2.204.5 is affected.
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2020-2160? Yes. CVE-2020-2160 is fixed in 2.204.6, 2.228. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is CVE-2020-2160 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2020-2160 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
6. What actually determines whether CVE-2020-2160 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
7. How do I fix CVE-2020-2160?
   • Upgrade org.jenkins-ci.main:jenkins-core to 2.204.6 or later
   • Upgrade org.jenkins-ci.main:jenkins-core to 2.228 or later

Other vulnerabilities in org.jenkins-ci.main:jenkins-core