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JiraApplication · Atlassian

CVE-2017-5983

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2017-04-10
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
The JIRA Workflow Designer Plugin in Atlassian JIRA Server before 6.3.0 improperly uses an XML parser and deserializer, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code, read arbitrary files, or cause a denial of service via a crafted serialized Java object.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

The JIRA Workflow Designer Plugin in Atlassian JIRA Server before 6.3.0 insecurely deserializes XML data, likely through Java's XMLDecoder. Attackers can send crafted serialized Java objects embedded in XML to achieve remote code execution, arbitrary file read, or denial of service.

MitigationUpgrade Atlassian JIRA Server to version 6.3.0 or later to obtain the patched Workflow Designer Plugin that properly handles XML deserialization.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
JiraApplication
Affected:= 4.2.4= 4.3= 4.3.1= 4.3.2= 4.3.3= 4.3.4= 4.4= 4.4.1= 4.4.2= 4.4.3= 4.4.4= 4.4.5

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify installed JIRA version
    Navigate to JIRA Administration > System > System Info or check the about page (usually at /secure/About.jspa). The version is displayed in the 'JIRA version' field.
    Affected if The installed version matches any of these: 4.2.4, 4.3, 4.3.1, 4.3.2, 4.3.3, 4.3.4, 4.4, 4.4.1, 4.4.2, 4.4.3, 4.4.4, or 4.4.5.
  2. Verify Workflow Designer plugin is present
    Check the JIRA add-ons or plugins administration page. Look for a plugin named 'JIRA Workflow Designer' or 'Workflow Designer Plugin'. This is typically found under Manage Add-ons or Plugins.
    Affected if The Workflow Designer Plugin is installed and enabled on a JIRA version 4.2.4 through 4.4.5.
  3. Confirm XML deserialization endpoint is accessible
    Attempt to access the Workflow Designer XML endpoint. The vulnerable URL pattern typically includes /WorkflowDesignerDesignerValidation.jspa or similar XML-based workflow validation endpoints. Check if the application responds to XML payload submissions.
    Affected if The JIRA instance accepts XML-based requests to the Workflow Designer functionality without requiring authentication above standard JIRA user access, indicating the vulnerable XMLDecoder is exposed.

You are affected if your JIRA Server version is 4.2.4 through 4.4.5 and the Workflow Designer plugin is enabled, as this combination exposes the insecure XMLDecoder deserialization endpoint.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade Atlassian JIRA Server to version 6.3.0 or later to obtain the patched Workflow Designer Plugin that properly handles XML deserialization.

Recommended fix High confidence

Atlassian JIRA Server 6.3.0 or later

  1. Back up your JIRA database and home directory (including attachments, avatars, and plugins)
  2. Download Atlassian JIRA Server 6.3.0 or later from official Atlassian distribution channels
  3. Stop the JIRA application
  4. If using a test environment, restore the backup and perform the upgrade there first to verify compatibility
  5. Install the new JIRA version following Atlassian's upgrade documentation
  6. Start JIRA and verify the application is functioning correctly
  7. Verify the Workflow Designer plugin is working as expected
  8. Test critical workflows and any custom integrations
Caveat Major version upgrades (from 4.x to 6.x) may introduce breaking changes in APIs, plugins, and custom integrations; thoroughly test in a non-production environment first

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Jira Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,080
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2017-5983 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data