CVE-2022-43416 is a high-severity vulnerability affecting the Jenkins Katalon Plugin versions 1.0.32 and earlier. The vulnerability arises because the plugin implements an agent/controller communication message that lacks proper execution constraints, allowing an attacker who can control Jenkins agent processes to invoke the Katalon test automation tool on the Jenkins controller with attacker-supplied parameters. Specifically, the attacker can specify the Katalon version, installation location, and command-line arguments. This capability enables the attacker to execute arbitrary operating system commands on the Jenkins controller. Additionally, attackers with Item/Configure permission can create files on the Jenkins controller, such as archiving artifacts, which can be leveraged to execute arbitrary OS commands. The underlying weakness corresponds to CWE-94 (Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection')), indicating that the plugin does not properly validate or restrict input that controls code execution. The vulnerability has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.8, reflecting its network attack vector, low attack complexity, requirement for privileges (PR:L), no user interaction, and high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Although no public exploits are currently known, the potential for remote code execution on the Jenkins controller makes this a critical risk in continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) environments where Jenkins is widely used. The vulnerability affects Jenkins environments that use the Katalon Plugin, which integrates Katalon Studio automated testing into Jenkins pipelines, thus potentially impacting software development and testing workflows.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a significant risk to the integrity and availability of their CI/CD pipelines and software development infrastructure. Successful exploitation could lead to unauthorized code execution on Jenkins controllers, enabling attackers to manipulate build processes, inject malicious code into software artifacts, exfiltrate sensitive data such as credentials or source code, or disrupt development operations. Given the central role of Jenkins in many enterprises' software delivery, this could result in supply chain compromises or operational downtime. Organizations in sectors with stringent regulatory requirements (e.g., finance, healthcare, critical infrastructure) may face compliance violations if such vulnerabilities are exploited. Furthermore, the ability to execute arbitrary commands without user interaction and remotely increases the likelihood of automated or wormable attacks, amplifying the threat landscape for European firms relying on Jenkins and Katalon for automated testing and deployment.

To mitigate this vulnerability, European organizations should immediately upgrade the Jenkins Katalon Plugin to a version that patches CVE-2022-43416 once available. Until a patched version is released, organizations should restrict access to Jenkins agents and controllers to trusted personnel only, enforce strict network segmentation to limit agent-controller communication to authorized hosts, and audit permissions to ensure only necessary users have Item/Configure privileges. Implementing robust monitoring and alerting on Jenkins logs for unusual agent commands or artifact archiving activities can help detect exploitation attempts early. Additionally, organizations should consider isolating Jenkins controllers in hardened environments with minimal privileges and employ runtime application self-protection (RASP) or endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to detect anomalous process executions. Reviewing and tightening plugin usage policies and disabling unused plugins can reduce the attack surface. Finally, integrating security testing into the CI/CD pipeline to detect such vulnerabilities proactively is recommended.