CVE-2021-21648
MEDIUMCVE-2021-21648 is a medium-severity (CVSS 6.1) Cross-site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in org.jenkins-ci.plugins:credentials. O3 Security confirms whether CVE-2021-21648 is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
Cross-Site Request Forgery in Jenkins Credentials Plugin
Blast Radius
org.jenkins-ci.plugins:credentials☕org.jenkins-ci.plugins:credentials☕org.jenkins-ci.plugins:credentials☕org.jenkins-ci.plugins:credentials☕org.jenkins-ci.plugins:credentials☕org.jenkins-ci.plugins:credentialsReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Maven packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
Jenkins Credentials Plugin 2.3.18 and earlier does not escape user-controlled information on a view it provides, resulting in a reflected cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.jenkins-ci.plugins:credentials | ≥ 2.3.16&&< 2.3.19 | 2.3.19 |
| ☕Maven | org.jenkins-ci.plugins:credentials | ≥ 2.3.15&&< 2.3.15.1 | 2.3.15.1 |
| ☕Maven | org.jenkins-ci.plugins:credentials | ≥ 2.3.14&&< 2.3.14.1 | 2.3.14.1 |
| ☕Maven | org.jenkins-ci.plugins:credentials | ≥ 2.3.8&&< 2.3.13.1 | 2.3.13.1 |
| ☕Maven | org.jenkins-ci.plugins:credentials | ≥ 2.3.1&&< 2.3.7.1 | 2.3.7.1 |
| ☕Maven | org.jenkins-ci.plugins:credentials | all versions | 2.3.0.1 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.jenkins-ci.plugins:credentials. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.
Fix
Update org.jenkins-ci.plugins:credentials to 2.3.19 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2021-21648 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 pinpoints whether CVE-2021-21648 is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.
Tailored to CVE-2021-21648. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2021-21648 in your dependencies?
O3 detects CVE-2021-21648 across Maven dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.