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Jira Service DeskApplication · Atlassian

CVE-2021-39115

HIGH · 7.2 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-09-01
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 4.13.9 / 4.18.0 or later.
See remediation →
78/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable 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
Affected versions of Atlassian Jira Service Management Server and Data Center allow remote attackers with "Jira Administrators" access to execute arbitrary Java code or run arbitrary system commands via a Server_Side Template Injection vulnerability in the Email Template feature. The affected versions are before version 4.13.9, and from version 4.14.0 before 4.18.0.

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

This is a Server-Side Template Injection (SSTI) vulnerability in the Email Template feature of Atlassian Jira Service Management Server and Data Center. An authenticated attacker with Jira Administrator access can inject malicious template code to execute arbitrary Java code or system commands. The vulnerability stems from improper sanitization of user input in template rendering, allowing template expressions to be interpreted as executable code.

MitigationUpgrade Jira Service Management to version 4.13.9, 4.18.0, or later. Additionally, restrict and monitor Jira Administrator access since this authenticated vector is required for exploitation.

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
Jira Service DeskApplication
Affected:< 4.13.9
Jira Service ManagementApplication
Affected:>= 4.14.0, < 4.18.0

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
High
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/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 Jira product and version
    Access Jira administration (https://your-jira-base-url/admin) and check the 'About' or 'Application' page to determine if the product is Jira Service Management or Jira Service Desk, and note the exact version number displayed.
    Affected if The product is Jira Service Desk version < 4.13.9, or Jira Service Management version >= 4.14.0 and < 4.18.0
  2. Confirm Email Template feature is in use
    Navigate to the Email Templates administration section (typically under Administration > Email > Templates or similar path depending on version) to verify the feature exists and is configurable.
    Affected if The Email Template feature is accessible and configurable in the instance
  3. Verify Jira Administrator access
    Check the 'Administration' menu access rights and review user/group memberships in the 'Jira Administrators' global permission group via Administration > User management > Global permissions.
    Affected if Any user account has Jira Administrator global permission, which grants access to the vulnerable Email Template configuration area
  4. Review admin access logs
    Examine Jira audit logs (Administration > System > Audit logs) for any recent modifications to the Email Templates configuration, focusing on entries from users with admin privileges.
    Affected if There are audit log entries showing Email Template modifications by users with Jira Administrator access, indicating active use of the vulnerable feature

A user is affected if they run Jira Service Desk < 4.13.9 or Jira Service Management >= 4.14.0 and < 4.18.0, and the Email Template feature is accessible to users with Jira Administrator permissions.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to 4.13.9 / 4.18.0 or later
Fixed in 4.13.94.18.0
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Jira Service Management to version 4.13.9, 4.18.0, or later. Additionally, restrict and monitor Jira Administrator access since this authenticated vector is required for exploitation.

Recommended fix High confidence

Jira Service Desk: 4.13.9+ | Jira Service Management: 4.18.0+

  1. 1. Back up your Jira database and home directory before starting the upgrade
  2. 2. Review Atlassian's upgrade documentation at jira.atlassian.com for your specific migration path
  3. 3. For Jira Service Desk users: Upgrade to version 4.13.9 or later (Atlassian recommends migrating to Jira Service Management)
  4. 4. For Jira Service Management users: Upgrade to version 4.18.0 or later
  5. 5. After upgrade, verify the Email Template feature functions correctly
  6. 6. Confirm the Server-Side Template Injection vulnerability is remediated by testing template rendering
  7. 7. Review user permissions to ensure only trusted administrators have access to the Email Template feature
Caveat Standard Jira upgrade considerations apply - review breaking changes in Atlassian's migration guides; JSD to JSM migration may introduce UI and workflow differences

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

Fix this in Jira Service Desk Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,490
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,984.

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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-2021-39115 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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