Matrix Authorization StrategyApplication · Jenkins
CVE-2021-21623
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 · uneditedAn incorrect permission check in Jenkins Matrix Authorization Strategy Plugin 2.6.5 and earlier allows attackers with Item/Read permission on nested items to access them, even if they lack Item/Read permission for parent folders.
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 confidenceThe Matrix Authorization Strategy Plugin for Jenkins versions 2.6.5 and earlier contains an incorrect permission check that allows attackers with Item/Read permission on nested items to access those items even when they lack Item/Read permission for the parent folders. This is an authorization bypass where the plugin fails to properly inherit and verify parent folder permissions before granting access to nested items.
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
Matrix Authorization StrategyApplication
<= 2.6.5CVSS 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
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Confirm Matrix Authorization Strategy Plugin is installedNavigate to Jenkins > Manage Jenkins > Manage Plugins > Installed tab, or inspect the $JENKINS_HOME/plugins directory for matrix-authorization-strategy folderAffected if The plugin is not present in the Jenkins instance
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Check installed version of Matrix Authorization Strategy PluginIn Jenkins UI, go to Manage Jenkins > Manage Plugins > Installed tab and locate Matrix Authorization Strategy Plugin in the list; the version will be displayed in the Version columnAffected if Version is 2.6.5 or earlier
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Identify if nested items or folders exist in JenkinsBrowse the Jenkins dashboard and job hierarchy, or inspect the $JENKINS_HOME/jobs directory structure for nested jobs or folders containing child jobsAffected if There are nested jobs inside folders or multi-config jobs with child items
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Verify permission configuration uses Item/Read on nested itemsNavigate to Manage Jenkins > Configure Global Security > Authorization > Matrix-based Security, and inspect permission matrices for any folder or parent job where child items may have individual permissions setAffected if Item/Read permission is granted specifically to nested/child items but NOT granted to the parent folder or parent job
If the Matrix Authorization Strategy Plugin version is 2.6.5 or earlier AND the instance contains nested jobs or folders with individually configured Item/Read permissions, the authorization bypass vulnerability is present.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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.
From vendor dataUpgrade Jenkins Matrix Authorization Strategy Plugin to version 2.6.6 or later to receive the corrected permission validation logic.
Fix this in Matrix Authorization Strategy
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,616.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-21623 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2021-21623 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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