CVE-2025-53663 is a vulnerability identified in the Jenkins IBM Cloud DevOps Plugin version 2.0.16 and earlier, where SonarQube authentication tokens are stored in plaintext within job configuration files (config.xml) on the Jenkins controller. Jenkins is a widely used automation server for continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD), and the IBM Cloud DevOps Plugin integrates Jenkins with IBM Cloud services. The vulnerability arises because the plugin fails to encrypt or otherwise protect sensitive SonarQube tokens, which are used to authenticate Jenkins jobs with SonarQube, a popular code quality and security analysis tool. These tokens are stored in the job configuration files accessible on the Jenkins controller's file system. Users with Item/Extended Read permissions within Jenkins or those with file system access to the Jenkins controller can read these tokens, leading to potential unauthorized access to SonarQube services. The CVSS score is 6.5 (medium severity), reflecting that the attack vector is network-based (remote), requires low complexity, but does require privileges (Item/Extended Read) and no user interaction. The vulnerability impacts confidentiality (exposure of authentication tokens) but does not affect integrity or availability of Jenkins or SonarQube. There are no known exploits in the wild at the time of publication. The weakness corresponds to CWE-311, which relates to the failure to encrypt sensitive data. This vulnerability highlights the risk of improper credential storage in CI/CD environments, potentially leading to lateral movement or further compromise if attackers leverage exposed tokens.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a risk of credential leakage within CI/CD pipelines that use Jenkins integrated with IBM Cloud DevOps and SonarQube. Exposure of SonarQube tokens could allow attackers or unauthorized users to access code quality and security reports, potentially revealing sensitive project information or enabling manipulation of code analysis results. While the vulnerability does not directly compromise Jenkins integrity or availability, the leaked tokens could be used to pivot attacks or gather intelligence on development workflows. Organizations with multi-tenant Jenkins environments or those with less restrictive access controls are at higher risk. This could lead to compliance issues, especially under GDPR, if sensitive project data is exposed. The risk is heightened in environments where Jenkins controllers are accessible to multiple teams or external collaborators. The absence of encryption for stored tokens also indicates a broader security posture concern that may affect other credentials or secrets stored similarly.

To mitigate this vulnerability, European organizations should: 1) Immediately audit Jenkins permissions to ensure that only trusted users have Item/Extended Read or higher access, minimizing exposure to sensitive job configurations. 2) Restrict file system access to the Jenkins controller to authorized personnel only, using OS-level access controls and monitoring. 3) Monitor and rotate SonarQube tokens that may have been exposed, invalidating any potentially compromised credentials. 4) Upgrade the Jenkins IBM Cloud DevOps Plugin to a patched version once available from the vendor, or apply any recommended configuration changes that encrypt or protect tokens. 5) Implement secrets management solutions integrated with Jenkins to avoid storing plaintext tokens in config files, such as using Jenkins credentials plugin or external vaults. 6) Regularly review and audit CI/CD pipeline configurations for insecure storage of credentials. 7) Employ network segmentation and monitoring to detect unusual access patterns to Jenkins or SonarQube services. 8) Educate development and DevOps teams about secure handling of authentication tokens and the risks of plaintext storage.