Summary
Agent-to-controller security bypass in Jenkins Semantic Versioning Plugin
Jenkins Semantic Versioning Plugin defines a controller/agent message that processes a given file as XML and returns version information. The XML parser is not configured to prevent XML external entity (XXE) attacks, which is only a problem if XML documents are parsed on the Jenkins controller.
Jenkins Semantic Versioning Plugin 1.13 and earlier does not restrict execution of a controller/agent message to agents, and implements no limitations about the file path that can be parsed, allowing attackers able to control agent processes to have Jenkins parse a crafted file that uses external entities for extraction of secrets from the Jenkins controller or server-side request forgery.
This vulnerability is only exploitable in Jenkins 2.318 and earlier, LTS 2.303.2 and earlier. See the LTS upgrade guide.
Impact
An XML parser processes external entity references in untrusted input, causing the server to fetch internal resources or remote URLs. Typical impact: local file disclosure, server-side request forgery, or denial of service.
CVE-2022-27201 has a CVSS score of 7.1 (High). The vector is network-reachable, low privileges required, and no user interaction. 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 (1.14); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
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. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2022-27201? CVE-2022-27201 is a high-severity XML external entity injection (XXE) vulnerability in org.jenkins-ci.plugins:semantic-versioning-plugin (maven), affecting versions < 1.14. It is fixed in 1.14. An XML parser processes external entity references in untrusted input, causing the server to fetch internal resources or remote URLs.
- How severe is CVE-2022-27201? CVE-2022-27201 has a CVSS score of 7.1 (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.
- Which versions of org.jenkins-ci.plugins:semantic-versioning-plugin are affected by CVE-2022-27201? org.jenkins-ci.plugins:semantic-versioning-plugin (maven) versions < 1.14 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2022-27201? Yes. CVE-2022-27201 is fixed in 1.14. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2022-27201 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2022-27201 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
- What actually determines whether CVE-2022-27201 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.
- How do I fix CVE-2022-27201? Upgrade
org.jenkins-ci.plugins:semantic-versioning-pluginto 1.14 or later.