CVE-2022-43406 — workflow-cps-global-lib
HIGHCVE-2022-43406 is a high-severity (CVSS 8.8) remote code execution vulnerability in org.jenkins-ci.plugins.workflow:workflow-cps-global-lib. A fix is available for org.jenkins-ci.plugins.workflow:workflow-cps-global-lib — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Sandbox bypass vulnerability in Jenkins Pipeline: Deprecated Groovy Libraries Plugin
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-2022-43406 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 378,156 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-cps-global-lib☕io.jenkins.plugins:pipeline-groovy-libReal-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
Pipeline: Groovy Libraries Plugin and older releases of the Pipeline: Deprecated Groovy Libraries Plugin (formerly Pipeline: Shared Groovy Libraries Plugin) define the library Pipeline step, which allows Pipeline authors to dynamically load Pipeline libraries. The return value of this step can be used to instantiate classes defined in the loaded library.
In Pipeline: Groovy Libraries Plugin 612.v84da_9c54906d and earlier and in Pipeline: Deprecated Groovy Libraries Plugin 583.vf3b_454e43966 and earlier, the library step can be used to invoke sandbox-generated synthetic constructors in crafted untrusted libraries and construct any subclassable type. This is similar to SECURITY-582 in the 2017-08-07 security advisory, but in a different plugin.
This vulnerability allows attackers with permission to define untrusted Pipeline libraries and to define and run sandboxed Pipelines, to bypass the sandbox protection and execute arbitrary code in the context of the Jenkins controller JVM.
Pipeline: Groovy Libraries Plugin 613.v9c41a_160233f rejects improper calls to sandbox-generated synthetic constructors when using the library step.
Pipeline: Deprecated Groovy Libraries Plugin 588.v576c103a_ff86 no longer contains the library step. It has been moved into the Pipeline: Groovy Libraries Plugin.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.jenkins-ci.plugins.workflow:workflow-cps-global-lib | all versions | 588.v576c103a_ff86org.jenkins-ci.plugins.workflow:workflow-cps-global-lib:588.v576c103a_ff86 |
| ☕Maven | io.jenkins.plugins:pipeline-groovy-lib | all versions | 613.v9c41a_160233fio.jenkins.plugins:pipeline-groovy-lib:613.v9c41a_160233f |
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-global-lib, 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-global-lib to 588.v576c103a_ff86 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2022-43406 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-2022-43406 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to CVE-2022-43406. 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-2022-43406 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds CVE-2022-43406 across Maven dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.