Atlassian Confluence Server and Data Center Widget Connector Macro Remote Code Execution (RCE) and Path Traversal Vulnerability (CVE-2019-3396) Analysis and Mitigation Guide
Executive & SecOps Summary
SECOPS ASSESSMENTAtlassian Confluence Server and Data Center before 6.6.12, 6.7.0 to before 6.12.3, 6.13.0 to before 6.13.3, and 6.14.0 to before 6.14.2
Unauthenticated remote attackers can achieve path traversal and execute arbitrary code (RCE) on the host server via Server-Side Template Injection (SSTI)
Immediately upgrade Confluence to the patched versions (6.6.12, 6.12.3, 6.13.3, 6.14.2 or later) or disable the Widget Connector macro
Affected Products & Version Scope
Remediation & Live Workaround Commands
PATCH & WORKAROUND1. Official Patch & Version Upgrade Commands
The recommended remediation is to upgrade Confluence to a secure, patched release. Below are the commands to safely stop, back up, and upgrade Confluence on a Linux server.
# 1. Stop the Confluence service
sudo systemctl stop confluence
# 2. Create backups of the home and installation directories
tar -czvf confluence_home_backup.tar.gz /var/atlassian/application-data/confluence
tar -czvf confluence_install_backup.tar.gz /opt/atlassian/confluence
# 3. Download and run the installer for a patched version (e.g., 6.14.2 or later)
wget https://www.atlassian.com/software/confluence/downloads/binary/atlassian-confluence-6.14.2-x64.bin
chmod +x atlassian-confluence-6.14.2-x64.bin
sudo ./atlassian-confluence-6.14.2-x64.bin2. Temporary Workaround & Hardening Configuration
If an immediate upgrade is not feasible, you should block malicious requests at the reverse proxy level or disable the Widget Connector macro in the Confluence administration console.
# Example Nginx configuration to block exploitation attempts targeting the preview endpoint
server {
listen 80;
server_name confluence.company.internal;
location /rest/tinymce/1/macro/preview {
if ($request_body ~* '(_template|widget-connector)') {
return 403 'Forbidden: Blocked by Security Policy';
}
proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:8090;
}
}3. Log Audit & IoC Verification Commands
Use the following commands to inspect Confluence access logs for potential exploitation attempts and indicators of compromise (IoCs).
# Search for requests targeting the vulnerable macro preview endpoint
grep -Ei '(/rest/tinymce/1/macro/preview|widget-connector)' /opt/atlassian/confluence/logs/atlassian-confluence.log
# Check for path traversal patterns or remote template inclusion in the logs
grep -Ei '(_template=.*\.\./|ftp://|http://)' /opt/atlassian/confluence/logs/atlassian-confluence.logBlock Exploits Instantly with Managed Virtual Patching Rules
Can't patch production immediately? Deploy managed WAF rules at the edge to intercept RCE, SQLi, and deserialization payloads before they hit your origin server.
Technical Root Cause & Exploitation Mechanics
1. Vulnerability Overview & Root Cause
This vulnerability (CVE-2019-3396) is a critical Server-Side Template Injection (SSTI) and Path Traversal flaw residing in the 'Widget Connector' macro of Atlassian Confluence. The Widget Connector is designed to render external multimedia content (such as YouTube or Vimeo) within Confluence pages. The root cause lies in the improper validation and sanitization of user-supplied parameters (specifically the template path) before passing them to the Velocity template engine, allowing attackers to manipulate the template rendering process.
2. Exploitation Mechanics & Attack Scenario
An unauthenticated attacker can send a specially crafted HTTP POST request to the vulnerable REST API endpoint /rest/tinymce/1/macro/preview. By manipulating the _template parameter within the payload, the attacker can perform path traversal (using ../ sequences) to read local files or force the server to fetch and load a malicious Velocity template file (.vm) hosted on an attacker-controlled remote server (e.g., via WebDAV). Once the Velocity engine parses and executes this remote template, arbitrary Java code and system commands are executed under the privileges of the Confluence process.
3. Infrastructure & Business Impact
With a CVSS score of 9.8 (Critical) and its inclusion in the CISA KEV (Known Exploited Vulnerabilities) catalog, this vulnerability represents an extreme risk to enterprise environments. The EPSS score of 0.9991 indicates that automated exploit scripts and Metasploit modules are widely available and actively used in the wild. Successful exploitation allows complete system compromise, leading to unauthorized access to sensitive wiki spaces, database credential theft, and potential lateral movement within the corporate network.
Official Vendor Advisories & References
The Widget Connector macro in Atlassian Confluence Server before version 6.6.12 (the fixed version for 6.6.x), from version 6.7.0 before 6.12.3 (the fixed version for 6.12.x), from version 6.13.0 before 6.13.3 (the fixed version for 6.13.x), and from version 6.14.0 before 6.14.2 (the fixed version for 6.14.x), allows remote attackers to achieve path traversal and remote code execution on a Confluence Server or Data Center instance via server-side template injection.
Frequently Asked SecOps Questions (CVE-2019-3396)
FAQQ1. How critical is CVE-2019-3396 and is it actively exploited in the wild?
CVE-2019-3396 is rated CVSS 9.8 (CRITICAL) with a 30-day EPSS exploitation probability of 99.9%. It is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, requiring immediate emergency remediation.
Q2. Which vendors and products are affected by CVE-2019-3396?
Primary impacted vendors include atlassian across confluence_server, confluence_data_center. Scope summary: Atlassian Confluence Server and Data Center: - Versions before 6.6.12 (6.6.x release line) - Versions 6.7.0 to before 6.12.3 (6.12.x release line) - Versions 6.13.0 to before 6.13.3 (6.13.x release line) - Versions 6.14.0 to before 6.14.2 (6.14.x release line)
Q3. What temporary mitigations or workarounds exist for CVE-2019-3396 before patching?
[Mitigation] Immediately upgrade Confluence to the patched versions (6.6.12, 6.12.3, 6.13.3, 6.14.2 or later) or disable the Widget Connector macro Follow the CLI remediation commands and interactive SecOps checklist on this page to restrict exposure prior to your maintenance window.
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