CVE-2026-57306: Jenkins Zowe zDevOps Plugin CSRF Credential Exposure

Technical summary

CVE-2026-57306 is a cross-site request forgery (CWE-352) vulnerability affecting Jenkins Zowe zDevOps Plugin version 1.1.3.50.ve350c9b_450b_1 and earlier. The plugin fails to implement proper anti-CSRF protections when handling credential-based connection requests. An attacker with knowledge of credential IDs can craft a malicious request that, when executed by a legitimate Jenkins user, causes the plugin to authenticate to an attacker-specified URL using the targeted credentials. This allows credential interception and potential unauthorized system access through the compromised connection channel.

Business impact

Compromised Jenkins credential stores pose significant operational risk. If production credentials (database, cloud service, or system authentication tokens) are exposed through this vector, attackers gain authenticated access to downstream systems without triggering detection mechanisms that typically alert on direct authentication failures. For organizations using Jenkins as a central CI/CD orchestration platform, credential theft directly translates to supply chain compromise potential and lateral movement capabilities within infrastructure environments.

Affected systems

The vulnerability affects Jenkins Zowe zDevOps Plugin in version 1.1.3.50.ve350c9b_450b_1 and all earlier versions. Organizations should verify their installed plugin version in Jenkins Plugin Manager under 'Installed Plugins' and search for 'Zowe zDevOps'. Any deployment of the affected plugin version requires attention regardless of deployment scale, as CSRF attacks are network-layer attacks that do not require privileged network positioning.

Exploitability

Exploitation requires two conditions: (1) the attacker must have authenticated access to Jenkins or successfully social-engineer a Jenkins user to visit a malicious webpage while logged into Jenkins, and (2) the attacker must know or enumerate valid credential IDs within the Jenkins instance. The attack surface is bounded to authenticated users, reducing random internet-scale exploitability. However, CSRF attacks are technically straightforward and often succeed due to user behavior patterns. The CVSS score of 4.2 reflects the medium severity—confidentiality and integrity impact are present but limited by the requirement for credential ID knowledge and user interaction or authentication.

Remediation

Update the Jenkins Zowe zDevOps Plugin to a patched version released after the vulnerability was disclosed. Verify against the official Jenkins plugin repository and the Zowe project security advisories for the minimum patched version. Additionally, enforce Jenkins security policies: (1) implement Content Security Policy headers to mitigate CSRF impact, (2) use Jenkins' built-in CSRF protection features and ensure 'Prevent Cross Site Request Forgery exploits' is enabled in Jenkins security settings, and (3) regularly audit which users have credentials stored in Jenkins and restrict credential scope to principle of least privilege.

Patch guidance

Consult the official Jenkins plugin update mechanism and the Zowe project repository for the patched version. Patches are typically released through Jenkins' Plugin Manager interface. Test the update in a non-production Jenkins instance first, as plugin updates may affect pipeline behavior. After patching, restart Jenkins or reload the affected plugin to activate the fix. Verify in Jenkins UI under 'Manage Plugins' that the plugin version no longer matches 1.1.3.50.ve350c9b_450b_1 or earlier versions.

Detection guidance

Monitor Jenkins audit logs for unusual credential connection attempts, particularly those connecting to external or unfamiliar hostnames. Enable Jenkins audit logging if not already active (Manage Jenkins > Configure System > Enable Audit Log). Look for entries where credential IDs are referenced in connection attempts to suspicious destinations. Additionally, network intrusion detection systems should flag outbound connections from Jenkins servers to unexpected endpoints using authentication protocols (SSH, API calls, database connections). Credential usage logs should show anomalous patterns such as connections from unexpected source IPs or outside normal operational windows.

Why prioritize this

While the CVSS score is MEDIUM (4.2), this vulnerability should be prioritized for organizations where Jenkins manages production credentials or controls sensitive deployments. CSRF vulnerabilities, despite lower numerical scores, often achieve success in practice due to social engineering effectiveness and user behavior patterns. The presence of stored credentials in Jenkins compounds the risk—exposure of even one production credential justifies rapid patching. Organizations running Jenkins zDevOps Plugin in air-gapped or internal-only environments face lower immediate risk than those exposed to untrusted user populations.

Risk score, explained

The CVSS 3.1 score of 4.2 reflects: (1) Network-based attack vector (AV:N) with no special network positioning required, (2) High attack complexity (AC:H) due to the need for credential ID knowledge and successful CSRF trigger, (3) Low privilege requirement (PR:L) as any Jenkins user can be targeted, (4) No user interaction on the victim's part (UI:N) required once a CSRF payload is triggered, (5) Limited scope (S:U) affecting only the Jenkins instance, and (6) Low confidentiality and integrity impact (C:L/I:L). The score does not escalate to HIGH because the attack requires prior knowledge of credential IDs and assumes successful social engineering or authenticated attacker positioning—factors that limit widespread exploitability but do not eliminate risk in targeted scenarios.

Frequently asked questions