CVE-2022-43402 — workflow-cps
CRITICALCVE-2022-43402 is a critical-severity (CVSS 9.9) remote code execution vulnerability in org.jenkins-ci.plugins.workflow:workflow-cps. A fix is available for org.jenkins-ci.plugins.workflow:workflow-cps — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Jenkins Pipeline: Groovy Plugin allows sandbox protection bypass and arbitrary code execution
EPSS Exploitation Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.
How urgent is this, really
CVE-2022-43402 plotted by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). The shaded corner — EPSS 50%+ and CVSS 7.0+ — is where this CVE doesn't sit, though severity or exploitability alone can still warrant action.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 377,166 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the < 10% band (highlighted). Real counts from FIRST.org, not a sample — log-scaled since the landscape is heavily right-skewed.
Real-World Exposure
org.jenkins-ci.plugins.workflow:workflow-cpsReal-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
A sandbox bypass vulnerability involving various casts performed implicitly by the Groovy language runtime in Jenkins Pipeline: Groovy Plugin 2802.v5ea_628154b_c2 and earlier allows attackers with permission to define and run sandboxed scripts, including Pipelines, to bypass the sandbox protection and execute arbitrary code in the context of the Jenkins controller JVM.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.jenkins-ci.plugins.workflow:workflow-cps | all versions | 2803.v1a_f77ffcc773org.jenkins-ci.plugins.workflow:workflow-cps:2803.v1a_f77ffcc773 |
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.workflow:workflow-cps, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update org.jenkins-ci.plugins.workflow:workflow-cps to 2803.v1a_f77ffcc773 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2022-43402 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 Security's impact-aware SCA analyses which vulnerable code paths your application actually calls, so a match like CVE-2022-43402 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to CVE-2022-43402. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Fixing This On Your OS
If you run this on a Linux distribution, patch through your package manager against the distro's own security advisory below — it tracks the exact backported fix for your release, which can ship on a different timeline (and sometimes a different severity) than the upstream project.
| Product | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|
| OCP-Tools-4.12-RHEL-8 | jenkins-2-plugins-0:4.12.1675702407-1.el8 | RHSA-2023:1064 |
| OpenShift Developer Tools and Services for OCP 4.11 | jenkins-2-plugins-0:4.11.1683009941-1.el8 | RHSA-2023:3198 |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.10 | jenkins-2-plugins-0:4.10.1675144701-1.el8 | RHSA-2023:0560 |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.9 | jenkins-2-plugins-0:4.9.1675668922-1.el8 | RHSA-2023:0777 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2022-43402 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds CVE-2022-43402 across Maven dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.