CVE-2025-68702 identifies a cryptographic vulnerability in the Jervis library, a tool used to facilitate Job DSL plugin scripts and shared Jenkins pipeline libraries. The core issue is the misuse of padding length when processing SHA-256 hashes. SHA-256 outputs a 32-byte hash, which corresponds to 64 hexadecimal characters. However, versions of Jervis prior to 2.2 incorrectly use padLeft(32, '0'), effectively padding to only 32 hex characters instead of 64. This results in truncated or malformed hash representations, weakening the cryptographic strength and potentially allowing attackers to bypass integrity checks or manipulate pipeline logic that depends on these hashes. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-327, indicating the use of a broken or risky cryptographic algorithm or implementation. The CVSS 4.0 vector (AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N) shows that the vulnerability is remotely exploitable without authentication or user interaction, with high impact on integrity but no impact on confidentiality or availability. Although no exploits have been observed in the wild, the vulnerability poses a significant risk to continuous integration and deployment pipelines that rely on Jervis for secure job scripting. The fix was introduced in Jervis 2.2 by correcting the padding to padLeft(64, '0'), aligning with the correct SHA-256 hash length.

For European organizations, this vulnerability could undermine the integrity of Jenkins pipeline scripts that use Jervis versions prior to 2.2. Attackers exploiting this flaw might manipulate job definitions or pipeline logic, potentially injecting malicious code or bypassing security controls embedded in the CI/CD process. This could lead to unauthorized code execution, supply chain compromise, or deployment of untrusted software artifacts. Since Jenkins is widely used across Europe in software development and DevOps environments, the risk extends to numerous sectors including finance, manufacturing, telecommunications, and government. The integrity compromise could also affect compliance with regulations such as GDPR if malicious code leads to data breaches or unauthorized data processing. The lack of confidentiality and availability impact reduces the risk of data leakage or service downtime directly from this vulnerability, but the integrity impact alone is critical for maintaining trust in automated build and deployment pipelines.

The primary mitigation is to upgrade all instances of the Jervis library to version 2.2 or later, where the padding issue is corrected. Organizations should audit their Jenkins environments to identify usage of Jervis and verify the version in use. For environments where immediate upgrade is not feasible, implementing additional integrity checks on pipeline scripts and job definitions can help detect tampering. Employing strict access controls on Jenkins job configuration and pipeline repositories reduces the risk of exploitation. Monitoring pipeline execution logs for anomalies and integrating security scanning tools that validate cryptographic operations in CI/CD workflows can provide early detection. Finally, educating DevOps teams about the importance of using updated libraries and secure cryptographic practices is essential to prevent similar issues.