Sandbox bypass vulnerability through implicitly allowlisted platform Groovy files in Jenkins Pipeline: Groovy PluginGHSA-2xvx-rw9p-xgfc
HIGHFix: jenkinsci/workflow-cps-plugin@76a7681GHSA-2xvx-rw9p-xgfc is a high-severity (CVSS 7.5) 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.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.
How urgent is this, really
Where this sits among everything scored
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
Pipeline: Groovy Plugin allows pipelines to load Groovy source files. This is intended to be used to allow Global Shared Libraries to execute without sandbox protection.
In Pipeline: Groovy Plugin 2689.v434009a_31b_f1 and earlier, any Groovy source files bundled with Jenkins core and plugins could be loaded this way and their methods executed. If a suitable Groovy source file is available on the classpath of Jenkins, sandbox protections can be bypassed.
The Jenkins security team has been unable to identify any Groovy source files in Jenkins core or plugins that would allow attackers to execute dangerous code. While the severity of this issue is declared as High due to the potential impact, successful exploitation is considered very unlikely.
Pipeline: Groovy Plugin 2692.v76b_089ccd026 restricts which Groovy source files can be loaded in Pipelines.
Groovy source files in public plugins intended to be executed in sandboxed pipelines have been identified and added to an allowlist. The new extension point org.jenkinsci.plugins.workflow.cps.GroovySourceFileAllowlist allows plugins to add specific Groovy source files to that allowlist if necessary, but creation of plugin-specific Pipeline DSLs is strongly discouraged.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.jenkins-ci.plugins.workflow:workflow-cps | all versions | 2692.v76borg.jenkins-ci.plugins.workflow:workflow-cps:2692.v76b |
Affected Products
pipeline\jenkinsDetection & 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 2692.v76b or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-2xvx-rw9p-xgfc 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.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.8 | jenkins-2-plugins-0:4.8.1672842762-1.el8 | RHSA-2023:0017 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-2xvx-rw9p-xgfc in your dependencies?
Find it across Maven, including transitive dependencies.