CVE-2019-14996 Explained : Impact and Mitigation

CVE-2019-14996 was published on September 10, 2019, by Atlassian. It involves a cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Jira versions prior to 7.13.7 and from 8.0.0 to 8.3.3, allowing remote attackers to inject malicious code.

Understanding CVE-2019-14996

This CVE identifies a security issue in Jira that could be exploited by attackers to execute XSS attacks.

What is CVE-2019-14996?

The vulnerability in the searchOwnerUserName parameter of Jira's FilterPickerPopup.jspa resource allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary HTML or JavaScript code.

The Impact of CVE-2019-14996

The vulnerability enables attackers to execute cross-site scripting attacks, potentially leading to unauthorized data access, account takeover, or other malicious activities.

Technical Details of CVE-2019-14996

This section provides more in-depth technical insights into the CVE.

Vulnerability Description

The FilterPickerPopup.jspa resource in Jira versions before 7.13.7 and from 8.0.0 to 8.3.3 is susceptible to a cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability, allowing attackers to inject malicious code.

Affected Systems and Versions

Product: Jira
Vendor: Atlassian
Vulnerable Versions:
Versions less than 7.13.7
Versions 8.0.0 to 8.3.3

Exploitation Mechanism

Attackers can exploit the vulnerability by injecting malicious HTML or JavaScript code via the searchOwnerUserName parameter in the FilterPickerPopup.jspa resource.

Mitigation and Prevention

Protecting systems from CVE-2019-14996 requires immediate actions and long-term security practices.

Immediate Steps to Take

Update Jira to versions 7.13.7 or higher if using an affected version.
Implement input validation to sanitize user inputs and prevent XSS attacks.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly monitor and audit web applications for security vulnerabilities.
Educate developers and users on secure coding practices to mitigate XSS risks.

Patching and Updates

Apply security patches provided by Atlassian promptly to address the vulnerability and enhance system security.