How to remediate – Atlassian Confluence Wiki Detection

1. Introduction

Atlassian Confluence Wiki Detection identifies instances of the Atlassian Confluence wiki web application running on a remote server. This is a collaboration tool used by many businesses for document sharing and team communication, making it a potential target for attackers. A successful exploit could lead to information disclosure or unauthorized access. The likely impact is medium confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

2. Technical Explanation

Atlassian Confluence is a Java-based wiki application that may be exposed to the internet or internal networks. It allows users to create and edit web pages collaboratively. Attackers can identify running instances of Confluence through banner grabbing or network scanning techniques. The plugin supports authentication when HTTP basic or digest access credentials are supplied in the configuration, which could lead to credential compromise if not properly secured.

• Root cause: The application is publicly accessible and identifiable as Atlassian Confluence.
• Exploit mechanism: An attacker identifies a running instance of Confluence and attempts to exploit known vulnerabilities or weaknesses in its configuration.
• Scope: All versions of Atlassian Confluence are potentially affected, depending on their configuration and patch status.

3. Detection and Assessment

To confirm whether a system is vulnerable, you can first check for the presence of the application through network scanning. A thorough method involves examining web server configurations and response headers.

• Quick checks: Use `curl -I ` to examine the HTTP headers for indicators of Confluence.
• Scanning: Nessus plugin ID 16879 can identify Atlassian Confluence instances. This is an example only and may require updating.
• Logs and evidence: Web server access logs may show requests to Confluence-specific URLs or resources.

curl -I https://example.com/confluence

4. Solution / Remediation Steps

The following steps outline how to address the identified vulnerability.

4.1 Preparation

• Ensure you have access to the Confluence installation directory and administrative privileges. A roll back plan involves restoring from the pre-change snapshot.
• A change window may be required for service disruption. Approval from the IT security team is recommended.

4.2 Implementation

1. Step 1: Review Confluence’s documentation and ensure it is running a supported version with the latest security patches applied.
2. Step 2: Configure appropriate authentication mechanisms, such as strong password policies or multi-factor authentication.
3. Step 3: Restrict access to Confluence based on the principle of least privilege.

4.3 Config or Code Example

Before

# No authentication configured

After

# Basic authentication enabled with strong password policies

4.4 Security Practices Relevant to This Vulnerability

Several security practices can help prevent this issue.

• Practice 1: Least privilege access control reduces the impact if Confluence is compromised.
• Practice 2: Input validation prevents attackers from injecting malicious code or exploiting vulnerabilities in user-supplied data.

4.5 Automation (Optional)

# No automation available for this specific vulnerability.

5. Verification / Validation

Confirm the fix by verifying Confluence’s configuration and security settings.

• Post-fix check: Use `curl -I ` to confirm authentication is required before accessing Confluence resources.
• Re-test: Re-run the initial detection methods (network scanning, header analysis) to ensure Confluence is no longer easily identifiable without authentication.
• Monitoring: Monitor web server logs for unauthorized access attempts or suspicious activity related to Confluence.

curl -I https://example.com/confluence

6. Preventive Measures and Monitoring

Update security baselines and implement checks in CI/CD pipelines.

• Baselines: Update your security baseline to include Confluence-specific hardening guidelines, such as CIS benchmarks or vendor recommendations.
• Pipelines: Add static analysis tools (SAST) to scan Confluence configurations for vulnerabilities during deployment.
• Asset and patch process: Implement a regular patch review cycle for Confluence to ensure timely application of security updates.

7. Risks, Side Effects, and Roll Back

Applying the fix may cause temporary service disruption or require user retraining.

• Risk or side effect 1: Service interruption during configuration changes. Mitigation: Schedule maintenance window and communicate with users.
• Roll back: Restore from the pre-change snapshot of the server.

8. References and Resources

• Vendor advisory or bulletin: https://www.atlassian.com/software/confluence