CVE-2026-3422: Atlassian Confluence OGNL Injection via AI-Generated Exploit — Detection and Remediation

---
title: Potential Confluence CVE-2026-3422 Exploitation Shell Spawn
id: 8a4b2c1d-5e6f-4a7b-8c9d-0e1f2a3b4c5d
status: experimental
description: Detects suspicious child processes spawned by the Confluence Java process, indicative of successful RCE.
references:
 - https://confluence.atlassian.com/kb/faq-for-cve-2026-3422
author: Security Arsenal
date: 2026/06/05
tags:
 - attack.initial_access
 - attack.execution
 - attack.t1190
logsource:
 category: process_creation
 product: windows
detection:
 selection:
   ParentImage|endswith: '\java.exe'
   ParentImage|contains: 'confluence'
   Image|endswith:
     - '\cmd.exe'
     - '\powershell.exe'
     - '\pwsh.exe'
     - '\wscript.exe'
 condition: selection
falsepositives:
 - Legitimate administrative debugging (rare)
level: critical
---
title: Linux Confluence RCE Shell Spawn
id: 9b5c3d2e-6f7a-5b8c-9d0e-1f2a3b4c5d6e
status: experimental
description: Detects shell processes spawned by the Confluence Java daemon on Linux.
references:
 - https://confluence.atlassian.com/kb/faq-for-cve-2026-3422
author: Security Arsenal
date: 2026/06/05
tags:
 - attack.initial_access
 - attack.execution
 - attack.t1190
logsource:
 category: process_creation
 product: linux
detection:
 selection:
   ParentImage|endswith: '/java'
   ParentImage|contains: '/confluence'
   Image|endswith:
     - '/bin/sh'
     - '/bin/bash'
     - '/usr/bin/curl'
     - '/usr/bin/wget'
 condition: selection
falsepositives:
 - Authorized plugin maintenance
level: critical

| where Timestamp > ago(7d)
| where InitiatingProcessFileName =~ "java" 
| where InitiatingProcessFolderPath contains "confluence"
| where FileName in~ ("cmd.exe", "powershell.exe", "bash", "sh", "curl", "wget");

| where Timestamp > ago(7d)
| where InitiatingProcessFileName =~ "java" 
| where InitiatingProcessFolderPath contains "confluence"
| where RemotePort in (443, 80, 8080) and InitiatingProcessDirection == "Outbound";

| project Timestamp, DeviceName, ActionType, FileName, InitiatingProcessFileName, RemoteIP, RemoteUrl
| sort by Timestamp desc

-- Hunt for Confluence RCE Indicators
SELECT 
  Pid, 
  Name, 
  CommandLine, 
  Exe, 
  Parent.Pid AS ParentPid,
  Parent.Name AS ParentName,
  Parent.Exe AS ParentExe
FROM pslist()
WHERE ParentName =~ 'java'
  AND ParentExe =~ 'confluence'
  AND Name IN ('bash', 'sh', 'dash', 'powershell', 'cmd', 'curl', 'wget', 'perl', 'python')

-- Check Confluence directories for suspicious web shells
LET WebShellFiles = glob(globs='/*confluence*/temp/*.jsp',
                          root='/')
SELECT FullPath, Mtime, Size, Mode
FROM stat(filename=WebShellFiles)
WHERE Mtime > now() - TimeSpan(days=2)
n

#!/bin/bash

# CVE-2026-3422 Mitigation Script
# Checks version and disables Widget Connector if necessary

CONFLUENCE_HOME="/opt/atlassian/confluence" 
CONFLUENCE_INSTALL="/opt/atlassian/confluence"
USER="confluence"

echo "[*] Checking Confluence version..."

# Get version from confluence-init.properties or similar config location logic
# Assuming standard output path for version info
VERSION=$($CONFLUENCE_INSTALL/bin/version.sh 2>/dev/null | grep "Atlassian Confluence" | awk '{print $4}')

echo "[+] Detected Version: $VERSION"

# Function to compare versions (simplified)
# In production, use sort -V or a robust version comparison logic
if [[ "$VERSION" < "8.9.5" ]] || [[ "$VERSION" == "9.0.0" ]] || [[ "$VERSION" == "9.0.1" ]] || [[ "$VERSION" == "9.0.2" ]]; then
    echo "[!] Version is VULNERABLE to CVE-2026-3422."
    echo "[*] Applying mitigation: Disabling Widget Connector Macro..."
    
    # Backup the configuration file
    cp $CONFLUENCE_HOME/confluence.cfg.xml $CONFLUENCE_HOME/confluence.cfg.xml.bak_$(date +%F)
    
    # Add the property to disable the macro (simplified logic for demo)
    # Actual implementation requires XML parsing (xmlstarlet) or stopping service, editing file, starting service.
    if grep -q "atlassian.plugins.enable.rest" $CONFLUENCE_HOME/confluence.cfg.xml; then
        echo "[!] Property exists. Please manually verify configuration."
    else
        echo "[*] Attempting to add mitigation property..."
        # This is a placeholder for the actual XML edit command
        # sed -i 's/<properties>/<properties>\n  <property name="atlassian.plugins.enable.rest">false</property>/' $CONFLUENCE_HOME/confluence.cfg.xml
        echo "[!] Manual intervention required: Add 'atlassian.plugins.enable.rest=false' or upgrade to latest."
    fi
    
    echo "[!] SERVICE RESTART REQUIRED."
else
    echo "[+] Version appears patched or safe."
fi

echo "[*] Official Vendor Advisory: https://confluence.atlassian.com/security/cve-2026-3422"