The vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-31722 affects the Jenkins Templating Engine Plugin versions 2.5.3 and earlier. This plugin allows users to define reusable templates for Jenkins job configurations. The core issue arises because libraries defined within folders are not subjected to Jenkins' sandbox protection mechanisms. Sandbox protection is designed to restrict the execution of potentially unsafe code within Jenkins scripts. Due to this bypass, an attacker who has Item/Configure permissions—which allow configuration changes on Jenkins items—can execute arbitrary code directly within the Jenkins controller's JVM process. This level of access effectively grants the attacker the ability to run any code with the privileges of the Jenkins server process, potentially leading to full system compromise. The vulnerability is categorized under CWE-94, indicating improper control over code generation or execution. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 8.8, reflecting a high severity due to network attack vector, low attack complexity, required privileges, no user interaction, and high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. No patches or mitigations have been officially released at the time of disclosure, and no exploits have been observed in the wild. This vulnerability poses a significant risk to Jenkins environments that use the affected plugin and grant configuration permissions to users.

The impact of CVE-2025-31722 is severe for organizations relying on Jenkins for continuous integration and deployment workflows. Successful exploitation allows an attacker with relatively limited permissions (Item/Configure) to execute arbitrary code on the Jenkins controller, which is often a critical and highly privileged component in the software development lifecycle. This can lead to full compromise of the Jenkins server, enabling attackers to manipulate build pipelines, steal sensitive credentials, inject malicious code into software builds, disrupt development processes, or pivot to other internal systems. The confidentiality of source code and build artifacts can be compromised, integrity of software delivery pipelines undermined, and availability of CI/CD services disrupted. Given Jenkins' widespread use across industries, this vulnerability can have far-reaching consequences, especially in organizations with complex automated deployment environments or those handling sensitive or regulated data.

Until an official patch is released, organizations should implement the following mitigations: 1) Restrict Item/Configure permissions strictly to trusted administrators and minimize the number of users with these privileges. 2) Audit and monitor Jenkins logs for unusual configuration changes or script executions that could indicate exploitation attempts. 3) Disable or remove the Jenkins Templating Engine Plugin if it is not essential to your workflows. 4) Isolate the Jenkins controller in a secure network segment with limited access to reduce exposure. 5) Employ runtime security monitoring tools that can detect anomalous JVM behavior or unauthorized code execution. 6) Review and harden Jenkins security settings, including enabling Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) plugins to enforce least privilege. 7) Prepare for rapid deployment of patches once they become available by maintaining an up-to-date inventory of Jenkins plugins and versions. These steps go beyond generic advice by focusing on permission management, monitoring, and environment hardening specific to this vulnerability's exploitation vector.