CVE-2022-41249 is a high-severity cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability affecting the Jenkins SCM HttpClient Plugin version 1.5 and earlier. Jenkins is a widely used open-source automation server that facilitates continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipelines. The SCM HttpClient Plugin enables Jenkins to interact with external HTTP servers using stored credentials. This vulnerability allows an attacker to exploit CSRF to force a Jenkins instance to connect to an attacker-controlled HTTP server using credentials IDs that the attacker has obtained through other means. By doing so, the attacker can capture sensitive credentials stored within Jenkins, potentially leading to unauthorized access to internal resources or further lateral movement within the affected environment. The vulnerability does not require prior authentication but does require user interaction, such as the victim visiting a malicious web page. The CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.8 reflects the high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability, as the attacker can exfiltrate credentials and potentially manipulate Jenkins operations. No public exploits are currently known in the wild, but the risk remains significant given Jenkins' widespread use in software development and deployment workflows.

For European organizations, the impact of this vulnerability can be substantial. Jenkins is extensively used across various industries in Europe, including finance, manufacturing, telecommunications, and government sectors, to automate software builds and deployments. Compromise of Jenkins credentials can lead to unauthorized access to source code repositories, deployment environments, and other critical infrastructure components. This can result in intellectual property theft, insertion of malicious code into software builds, disruption of production systems, and potential compliance violations under regulations such as GDPR. The ability to exfiltrate credentials without authentication increases the risk of supply chain attacks and insider threats. Given the reliance on Jenkins in DevOps pipelines, exploitation could also disrupt continuous integration and delivery processes, causing operational downtime and financial losses.

To mitigate this vulnerability, European organizations should: 1) Immediately update the Jenkins SCM HttpClient Plugin to a version later than 1.5 where the vulnerability is patched. If an update is not immediately possible, consider disabling the plugin temporarily. 2) Implement strict CSRF protection measures within Jenkins, including enabling the built-in CSRF protection features and validating all HTTP requests. 3) Restrict network access to Jenkins servers to trusted IP ranges and enforce strong authentication and authorization controls to limit exposure. 4) Audit and rotate credentials stored in Jenkins, especially those that could be targeted by this vulnerability. 5) Monitor Jenkins logs and network traffic for unusual outbound connections to unknown HTTP servers, which may indicate exploitation attempts. 6) Educate users to avoid clicking on suspicious links or visiting untrusted websites while authenticated to Jenkins. 7) Employ web application firewalls (WAFs) or reverse proxies to detect and block CSRF attack patterns targeting Jenkins endpoints.