GHSA-9g4m-ffx6-c29g is a high-severity (CVSS 8) Cross-site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in org.jenkins-ci.main:jenkins-core. 2 public exploit references exist, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for org.jenkins-ci.main:jenkins-core — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Jenkins Cross-site Scripting vulnerability in project naming strategy
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
GHSA-9g4m-ffx6-c29g plotted by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). The shaded corner — EPSS 50%+ and CVSS 7.0+ — is where this CVE sits: patch-first territory.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 379,145 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the 50–90% 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.main:jenkins-core☕org.jenkins-ci.main:jenkins-coreReal-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 2.251 and earlier, LTS 2.235.3 and earlier does not escape the project naming strategy description, that is displayed on item creation.\n\nThis results in a stored cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability exploitable by users with Overall/Manage permission.\n\nJenkins 2.252, LTS 2.235.4 escapes the project naming strategy description.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.jenkins-ci.main:jenkins-core | all versions | 2.235.4org.jenkins-ci.main:jenkins-core:2.235.4 |
| ☕Maven | org.jenkins-ci.main:jenkins-core | ≥ 2.236&&< 2.252 | 2.252org.jenkins-ci.main:jenkins-core:2.252 |
Research use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.
Jenkins 2.235.3 - 'Description' Stored XSS
by gx1 · Dec 11, 2020
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.main:jenkins-core, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update org.jenkins-ci.main:jenkins-core to 2.235.4 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-9g4m-ffx6-c29g 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 GHSA-9g4m-ffx6-c29g can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to GHSA-9g4m-ffx6-c29g. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 3.11 | jenkins-0:2.235.5.1600415953-1.el7 | RHSA-2020:4223 |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.3 | jenkins-0:2.235.5.1600415514-1.el7 | RHSA-2020:3808 |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.4 | openshift4/ose-jenkins:v4.4.0-202009260441.p0 | RHSA-2020:4220 |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.5 | jenkins-0:2.235.5.1600414805-1.el7 | RHSA-2020:3841 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-9g4m-ffx6-c29g in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds GHSA-9g4m-ffx6-c29g across Maven dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.