A critical vulnerability in open source automation tool Jenkins could allow permission checks to be bypassed through the use of specially-crafted URLs . Jenkins uses the Stapler web framework for HTTP request handling , which uses reflection to dispatch incoming web requests to controller code . This means that any public methods that start with get and include string and integer parameters are exposed to the web server . Because this is a common naming convention , this has led to multiple internal Jenkins methods being inadvertently exposed . The precise impact of this isn ’ t clear . The advisory notes that code execution could be a possible outcome – though on closer inspection , this seems to be a worst-case scenario . “ To clarify , the vulnerability we addressed Vulnerability-related.PatchVulnerability had nothing to do with arbitrary code execution , but was rather an issue discovered Vulnerability-related.DiscoverVulnerability by the Jenkins security team that allowed a small subset of existing Jenkins code to be invoked by a remote client , ” Daniel Beck , Jenkins security officer , told The Daily Swig in an email . “ While the known impact is pretty limited , we felt that the layer at which the vulnerability existed , and its potential warranted a higher score. ” These potential attacks include unauthenticated users being able to invalidate sessions when running with the built-in server , and users with overall/read permissions being able to create new user objects in memory . The advisory reads : “ Given the vast potential attack surface , we fully expect other attacks , that we are not currently aware of , to be possible on Jenkins releases that do not have this fix applied Vulnerability-related.PatchVulnerability . “ This is reflected in the high score we assigned Vulnerability-related.DiscoverVulnerability to this issue , rather than limiting the score to the impact through known issues. ” Beck added : “ Jenkins users should always keep their instances up to date . In this case , we released Vulnerability-related.PatchVulnerability updates for two LTS lines simultaneously for the first time , so admins could apply Vulnerability-related.PatchVulnerability the update without having to go through a major version jump . “ We strive to fix Vulnerability-related.PatchVulnerability all security vulnerabilities in Jenkins and plugins in a timely manner. ” Reflection is also used by Apache Struts , via the OGNL library . Struts has suffered Vulnerability-related.DiscoverVulnerability a number of serious security flaws in recent years . In 2017 , a vulnerability in the framework was exploited Vulnerability-related.DiscoverVulnerability to expose Attack.Databreach the details of up to 148 million Equifax customers . Another flaw , revealed Vulnerability-related.DiscoverVulnerability in August 2018 , could lead to remote code execution . These issues underline the dangers of using reflection with untrusted data , and application architects would do well to avoid this unsafe practice .

Security researchers discovered Vulnerability-related.DiscoverVulnerability a security vulnerability in Android 's app permission model that could allow malicious apps to download onto the mobile device directly from Google Play and launch ransomware , adware , and banking malware , according to a Check Point Software blog post today . Check Point found Vulnerability-related.DiscoverVulnerability the flaw in Android version 6.0.0 , otherwise known as the Marshmallow . `` As a temporary solution , Google applied Vulnerability-related.PatchVulnerability a patch in Android version 6.0.1 that allows the Play Store app to grant run-time permissions , which are later used to grant SYSTEM_ALERT_WINDOW permission to apps installed from the app store . This means that a malicious app downloaded directly from the app store will be automatically granted this dangerous permission , '' Check Point wrote in a blog post today . The SYSTEM-ALERT-WINDOW mechanism will also effectively bypass security mechanisms introduced in the previous version of Android , according to Check Point . Google plans to fix Vulnerability-related.PatchVulnerability the issue in its upcoming `` Android 0 '' version .

An exploit in the Android operating system means almost 40 percent of users are vulnerable Vulnerability-related.DiscoverVulnerability to screen-hijacking apps , but it is unlikely to be fixed Vulnerability-related.PatchVulnerability until winter . The bug , which was first spotted Vulnerability-related.DiscoverVulnerability by researchers at Check Point , is caused by a development oversight in Android permissions , which in the past required users to manually grant downloaded applications the ability to display content on top of other app panes . However following complaints from users who found it difficult to manually whitelist each app , the Android 6.0.1 'Marshmallow ' update made this process automatic , which was good news for legitimate apps like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger . It appears that fix has meant apps hiding malicious codes are able to bypass security also being automatically granted the same access , specifically the 'SYSTEM_ALERT_WINDOW ' permission . According to Google 's own statistics , the vulnerability will be active Vulnerability-related.DiscoverVulnerability on close to 40 percent of all Android devices . `` As a temporary solution , Google applied Vulnerability-related.PatchVulnerability a patch in Android version 6.0.1 that allows the Play Store app to grant run-time permissions , which are later used to grant SYSTEM_ALERT_WINDOW permission to apps installed from the app store , '' the Check Point research team explained in a blog post . `` This means that a malicious app downloaded directly from the app store will be automatically granted this dangerous permission . '' This permission is particularly dangerous as it allows an app to display over any other app , without notifying the user . This means apps are able to display fraudulent adverts or links to content hosting malicious code , which are heavily used in banking Trojans . `` It can also be used by ransomware to create a persistent on-top screen that will prevent non-technical users from accessing their devices , '' explained the team . This particular permissions exploit is used by 74 percent of all ransomware , 57 percent of adware and 14 percent of banker malware , according to the report , clearly demonstrating that this is a widespread tactic in the wild . What 's worrying is that Google has stated that a fix will be available Vulnerability-related.PatchVulnerability in time for the release of Android O , which is n't expected until late summer . In the meantime , Check Point has urged users to beware of dodgy-looking apps and to check the comments left by other users . Although the Play Store is able to police the apps being uploaded to its platform , malicious content is repeatedly bypassing security checks . Check Point recently disclosed the discovery of a new malware strain hidden inside game guides hosted on the Play Store , thought to have infected close to two million Android devices over the past seven months .