CVE-2025-68701 identifies a cryptographic vulnerability in the Jervis library, a tool used to facilitate Jenkins Job DSL plugin scripts and shared pipeline libraries. The core issue stems from the use of a deterministic AES initialization vector (IV) derived directly from a passphrase prior to version 2.2. In cryptography, IVs should be random and unique for each encryption operation to ensure semantic security and prevent attackers from identifying patterns in ciphertext. Using a deterministic IV derived from a static passphrase violates this principle, making the encryption scheme vulnerable to cryptanalysis attacks such as ciphertext pattern analysis and potentially enabling attackers to recover plaintext or encryption keys. This vulnerability does not require any authentication or user interaction and can be exploited remotely over the network, as indicated by the CVSS vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N). The impact is high on confidentiality (VC:H), with no impact on integrity or availability. Although no known exploits are currently reported in the wild, the vulnerability poses a significant risk to any organization using affected Jervis versions in their Jenkins automation pipelines. The issue was addressed in Jervis version 2.2 by changing the IV derivation method to a secure, non-deterministic approach, thereby restoring proper cryptographic strength. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-327 (Use of a Broken or Risky Cryptographic Algorithm) and CWE-340 (Use of Cryptographically Weak Pseudo-Random Number Generator).

For European organizations, this vulnerability threatens the confidentiality of sensitive data processed or stored within Jenkins pipelines that utilize the Jervis library versions prior to 2.2. Organizations in sectors such as software development, financial services, critical infrastructure, and government agencies that rely heavily on Jenkins for continuous integration and deployment could face data leakage or exposure of secrets like credentials, API keys, or proprietary code. The deterministic IV could allow attackers to decrypt or infer encrypted data, leading to intellectual property theft, compliance violations (e.g., GDPR), and erosion of trust. Since Jenkins is widely used across Europe, the risk is amplified in countries with large IT and DevOps communities. Although no active exploits are known, the ease of exploitation (no authentication or user interaction required) and network accessibility make this a pressing concern. The vulnerability does not affect integrity or availability directly but compromises confidentiality, which can have cascading effects on organizational security posture and regulatory compliance.

The primary and most effective mitigation is to upgrade the Jervis library to version 2.2 or later, where the deterministic IV derivation flaw is corrected. Organizations should audit their Jenkins environments to identify usage of Jervis and verify the version in use. Additionally, security teams should review all cryptographic implementations within Jenkins pipelines to ensure adherence to best practices, including the use of random, unique IVs for AES encryption and secure key management. Implementing monitoring and alerting for unusual access patterns or data exfiltration attempts related to Jenkins pipelines is advisable. Where upgrading is not immediately possible, organizations should consider isolating Jenkins environments, restricting network access, and applying compensating controls such as encrypting sensitive data at rest with external tools that use secure cryptography. Finally, educating DevOps and security teams about cryptographic hygiene and secure pipeline design will help prevent similar issues.