CVE-2024-21685: Jira Data Center Information Disclosure

CVE-2024-21685 Overview

CVE-2024-21685 is an Information Disclosure vulnerability affecting Atlassian Jira Core Data Center and Jira Server. This vulnerability was introduced in versions 9.4.0, 9.12.0, and 9.15.0 of Jira Core Data Center. The flaw allows an unauthenticated attacker to view sensitive information through an information disclosure weakness that requires user interaction to exploit.

Critical Impact

Unauthenticated attackers can access sensitive information from affected Jira instances, potentially exposing confidential project data, user information, or internal business processes without requiring any authentication credentials.

Affected Products

• Atlassian Jira Data Center versions 9.4.0 to 9.4.20
• Atlassian Jira Data Center versions 9.12.0 to 9.12.7
• Atlassian Jira Server versions 9.4.0 to 9.4.20
• Atlassian Jira Server versions 9.12.0 to 9.12.7

Discovery Timeline

• 2024-06-18 - CVE-2024-21685 published to NVD
• 2025-03-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-21685

Vulnerability Analysis

This Information Disclosure vulnerability (CWE-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor) enables unauthenticated attackers to access sensitive information from vulnerable Jira instances. The vulnerability was discovered internally by Atlassian and affects the core functionality of Jira Data Center and Server deployments.

The attack requires network access and user interaction to exploit successfully. When successfully exploited, the vulnerability has a high impact on confidentiality, potentially exposing sensitive data stored within the Jira instance. However, the vulnerability does not allow attackers to modify data or disrupt service availability.

Root Cause

The vulnerability stems from insufficient access controls or improper information handling within specific Jira Core Data Center components. This allows sensitive information to be exposed to unauthenticated users under certain conditions when user interaction occurs. The exact technical mechanism involves information leakage through an undisclosed attack surface that was introduced in the affected version branches.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network-based, meaning attackers can exploit this vulnerability remotely over the network without requiring local access to the target system. The exploitation requires user interaction, indicating that a legitimate user must perform some action (such as clicking a link or visiting a page) for the attack to succeed.

Attackers targeting this vulnerability would typically:

1. Identify vulnerable Jira Data Center or Server installations running affected versions
2. Craft a request or interaction that triggers the information disclosure
3. Leverage user interaction to complete the exploitation
4. Extract sensitive information from the response

For detailed technical information, refer to the Atlassian Security Advisory and the Atlassian Jira Issue JRASERVER-77713.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-21685

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual access patterns to Jira endpoints from unauthenticated sessions
• Anomalous responses containing sensitive data being sent to external IP addresses
• Unexpected data exposure events logged in Jira access logs
• Requests with suspicious parameters targeting information disclosure vectors

Detection Strategies

• Monitor Jira access logs for requests from unauthenticated users that return abnormally large responses
• Implement network-level inspection for outbound data exfiltration patterns from Jira servers
• Review application logs for access to sensitive endpoints without proper authentication tokens
• Deploy web application firewall rules to detect information disclosure exploitation attempts

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable detailed access logging on all Jira Data Center and Server instances
• Configure alerts for unusual access patterns to sensitive Jira resources
• Implement data loss prevention (DLP) monitoring for sensitive information leaving Jira environments
• Regularly audit Jira access logs for signs of reconnaissance or exploitation attempts

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-21685

Immediate Actions Required

• Identify all Jira Data Center and Server instances running vulnerable versions (9.4.0 to 9.4.20, 9.12.0 to 9.12.7, or 9.15.x below 9.16.0)
• Prioritize patching internet-facing Jira instances immediately
• Review access logs for potential exploitation before applying patches
• Restrict network access to Jira instances where possible until patches can be applied

Patch Information

Atlassian recommends upgrading to the latest version of Jira Core Data Center. If immediate upgrade to the latest version is not possible, upgrade to one of the following fixed versions:

• Jira Core Data Center 9.4: Upgrade to version 9.4.21 or later
• Jira Core Data Center 9.12: Upgrade to version 9.12.8 or later
• Jira Core Data Center 9.16: Upgrade to version 9.16.0 or later

The latest versions can be downloaded from the Atlassian Download Center. Review the release notes for additional security fixes and upgrade considerations.

Workarounds

• Implement network segmentation to limit external access to Jira instances until patches can be applied
• Configure reverse proxy or WAF rules to restrict access to potentially vulnerable endpoints
• Enable additional authentication requirements for sensitive Jira operations
• Monitor and alert on suspicious access patterns while awaiting patch deployment

# Example: Restrict access to Jira at the network level using iptables
# Allow only trusted IP ranges while awaiting patch deployment
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 8080 -s 10.0.0.0/8 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 8080 -s 192.168.0.0/16 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 8080 -j DROP

# Verify current Jira version via REST API (requires authentication)
curl -u admin:password https://your-jira-instance/rest/api/2/serverInfo | jq '.version'