With config-file-provider-plugin 3.7.1, I get an ugly error when I open the Global Tool Configuration page. In my case, under Maven Configuration, I have "Default settings provider" set to "Provided settings.xml" and "Provided Settings" set to a config file.
The Jenkins log contains the below exception. It appears the problem is caused by the fix for SECURITY-2203. The line where the NPE occurs is checking for CONFIGURE permission against a project, but naturally there is no project in this scenario.
Downgrading to 3.7.0 "fixes" the problem.
2021-04-22 14:24:55.300+0000 [id=41] WARNING o.e.j.s.h.ContextHandler$Context#log: Error while serving http:java.lang.NullPointerException
at org.jenkinsci.plugins.configfiles.maven.job.MvnSettingsProvider$DescriptorImpl.doFillSettingsConfigIdItems(MvnSettingsProvider.java:137)
at java.lang.invoke.MethodHandle.invokeWithArguments(MethodHandle.java:627)
at org.kohsuke.stapler.Function$MethodFunction.invoke(Function.java:396)
Caused: java.lang.reflect.InvocationTargetException
at org.kohsuke.stapler.Function$MethodFunction.invoke(Function.java:400)
at org.kohsuke.stapler.Function$InstanceFunction.invoke(Function.java:408)
at org.kohsuke.stapler.Function.bindAndInvoke(Function.java:212)
at org.kohsuke.stapler.Function.bindAndInvokeAndServeResponse(Function.java:145)
at org.kohsuke.stapler.MetaClass$11.doDispatch(MetaClass.java:536)
at org.kohsuke.stapler.NameBasedDispatcher.dispatch(NameBasedDispatcher.java:58)
at org.kohsuke.stapler.Stapler.tryInvoke(Stapler.java:766)
at org.kohsuke.stapler.Stapler.invoke(Stapler.java:898)
at org.kohsuke.stapler.MetaClass$4.doDispatch(MetaClass.java:281)
at org.kohsuke.stapler.NameBasedDispatcher.dispatch(NameBasedDispatcher.java:58)
at org.kohsuke.stapler.Stapler.tryInvoke(Stapler.java:766)
at org.kohsuke.stapler.Stapler.invoke(Stapler.java:898)
at org.kohsuke.stapler.Stapler.invoke(Stapler.java:694)
at org.kohsuke.stapler.Stapler.service(Stapler.java:240)
at javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet.java:790)
at org.eclipse.jetty.servlet.ServletHolder.handle(ServletHolder.java:791)
at org.eclipse.jetty.servlet.ServletHandler$ChainEnd.doFilter(ServletHandler.java:1626)
at hudson.util.PluginServletFilter$1.doFilter(PluginServletFilter.java:154)
at jenkins.telemetry.impl.UserLanguages$AcceptLanguageFilter.doFilter(UserLanguages.java:129)
at hudson.util.PluginServletFilter$1.doFilter(PluginServletFilter.java:151)
at jenkins.security.ResourceDomainFilter.doFilter(ResourceDomainFilter.java:76)
at hudson.util.PluginServletFilter$1.doFilter(PluginServletFilter.java:151)
at hudson.util.PluginServletFilter.doFilter(PluginServletFilter.java:157)
at org.eclipse.jetty.servlet.FilterHolder.doFilter(FilterHolder.java:193)
at org.eclipse.jetty.servlet.ServletHandler$Chain.doFilter(ServletHandler.java:1601)
at hudson.security.csrf.CrumbFilter.doFilter(CrumbFilter.java:153)
at org.eclipse.jetty.servlet.FilterHolder.doFilter(FilterHolder.java:193)
at org.eclipse.jetty.servlet.ServletHandler$Chain.doFilter(ServletHandler.java:1601)
at hudson.security.ChainedServletFilter$1.doFilter(ChainedServletFilter.java:92)
at jenkins.security.AcegiSecurityExceptionFilter.doFilter(AcegiSecurityExceptionFilter.java:52)
at hudson.security.ChainedServletFilter$1.doFilter(ChainedServletFilter.java:97)
at hudson.security.UnwrapSecurityExceptionFilter.doFilter(UnwrapSecurityExceptionFilter.java:51)
at hudson.security.ChainedServletFilter$1.doFilter(ChainedServletFilter.java:97)
at org.springframework.security.web.access.ExceptionTranslationFilter.doFilter(ExceptionTranslationFilter.java:119)
at org.springframework.security.web.access.ExceptionTranslationFilter.doFilter(ExceptionTranslationFilter.java:113)
at hudson.security.ChainedServletFilter$1.doFilter(ChainedServletFilter.java:97)
at org.springframework.security.web.authentication.AnonymousAuthenticationFilter.doFilter(AnonymousAuthenticationFilter.java:105)
at hudson.security.ChainedServletFilter$1.doFilter(ChainedServletFilter.java:97)
at org.springframework.security.web.authentication.rememberme.RememberMeAuthenticationFilter.doFilter(RememberMeAuthenticationFilter.java:101)
at org.springframework.security.web.authentication.rememberme.RememberMeAuthenticationFilter.doFilter(RememberMeAuthenticationFilter.java:92)
at hudson.security.ChainedServletFilter$1.doFilter(ChainedServletFilter.java:97)
at org.springframework.security.web.authentication.AbstractAuthenticationProcessingFilter.doFilter(AbstractAuthenticationProcessingFilter.java:218)
at org.springframework.security.web.authentication.AbstractAuthenticationProcessingFilter.doFilter(AbstractAuthenticationProcessingFilter.java:212)
at hudson.security.ChainedServletFilter$1.doFilter(ChainedServletFilter.java:97)
at jenkins.security.BasicHeaderProcessor.doFilter(BasicHeaderProcessor.java:93)
at hudson.security.ChainedServletFilter$1.doFilter(ChainedServletFilter.java:97)
at org.springframework.security.web.context.SecurityContextPersistenceFilter.doFilter(SecurityContextPersistenceFilter.java:110)
at org.springframework.security.web.context.SecurityContextPersistenceFilter.doFilter(SecurityContextPersistenceFilter.java:80)
at hudson.security.HttpSessionContextIntegrationFilter2.doFilter(HttpSessionContextIntegrationFilter2.java:62)
at hudson.security.ChainedServletFilter$1.doFilter(ChainedServletFilter.java:97)
at hudson.security.ChainedServletFilter.doFilter(ChainedServletFilter.java:109)
at hudson.security.HudsonFilter.doFilter(HudsonFilter.java:168)
at org.eclipse.jetty.servlet.FilterHolder.doFilter(FilterHolder.java:193)
at org.eclipse.jetty.servlet.ServletHandler$Chain.doFilter(ServletHandler.java:1601)
at org.kohsuke.stapler.compression.CompressionFilter.doFilter(CompressionFilter.java:51)
at org.eclipse.jetty.servlet.FilterHolder.doFilter(FilterHolder.java:193)
at org.eclipse.jetty.servlet.ServletHandler$Chain.doFilter(ServletHandler.java:1601)
at hudson.util.CharacterEncodingFilter.doFilter(CharacterEncodingFilter.java:82)
at org.eclipse.jetty.servlet.FilterHolder.doFilter(FilterHolder.java:193)
at org.eclipse.jetty.servlet.ServletHandler$Chain.doFilter(ServletHandler.java:1601)
at org.kohsuke.stapler.DiagnosticThreadNameFilter.doFilter(DiagnosticThreadNameFilter.java:30)
at org.eclipse.jetty.servlet.FilterHolder.doFilter(FilterHolder.java:193)
at org.eclipse.jetty.servlet.ServletHandler$Chain.doFilter(ServletHandler.java:1601)
at jenkins.security.SuspiciousRequestFilter.doFilter(SuspiciousRequestFilter.java:36)
at org.eclipse.jetty.servlet.FilterHolder.doFilter(FilterHolder.java:193)
at org.eclipse.jetty.servlet.ServletHandler$Chain.doFilter(ServletHandler.java:1601)
at org.eclipse.jetty.servlet.ServletHandler.doHandle(ServletHandler.java:548)
at org.eclipse.jetty.server.handler.ScopedHandler.handle(ScopedHandler.java:143)
at org.eclipse.jetty.security.SecurityHandler.handle(SecurityHandler.java:578)
at org.eclipse.jetty.server.handler.HandlerWrapper.handle(HandlerWrapper.java:127)
at org.eclipse.jetty.server.handler.ScopedHandler.nextHandle(ScopedHandler.java:235)
at org.eclipse.jetty.server.session.SessionHandler.doHandle(SessionHandler.java:1624)
at org.eclipse.jetty.server.handler.ScopedHandler.nextHandle(ScopedHandler.java:233)
at org.eclipse.jetty.server.handler.ContextHandler.doHandle(ContextHandler.java:1435)
at org.eclipse.jetty.server.handler.ScopedHandler.nextScope(ScopedHandler.java:188)
at org.eclipse.jetty.servlet.ServletHandler.doScope(ServletHandler.java:501)
at org.eclipse.jetty.server.session.SessionHandler.doScope(SessionHandler.java:1594)
at org.eclipse.jetty.server.handler.ScopedHandler.nextScope(ScopedHandler.java:186)
at org.eclipse.jetty.server.handler.ContextHandler.doScope(ContextHandler.java:1350)
at org.eclipse.jetty.server.handler.ScopedHandler.handle(ScopedHandler.java:141)
at org.eclipse.jetty.server.handler.HandlerWrapper.handle(HandlerWrapper.java:127)
at org.eclipse.jetty.server.Server.handle(Server.java:516)
at org.eclipse.jetty.server.HttpChannel.lambda$handle$1(HttpChannel.java:388)
at org.eclipse.jetty.server.HttpChannel.dispatch(HttpChannel.java:633)
at org.eclipse.jetty.server.HttpChannel.handle(HttpChannel.java:380)
at org.eclipse.jetty.server.HttpConnection.onFillable(HttpConnection.java:279)
at org.eclipse.jetty.io.AbstractConnection$ReadCallback.succeeded(AbstractConnection.java:311)
at org.eclipse.jetty.io.FillInterest.fillable(FillInterest.java:105)
at org.eclipse.jetty.io.ChannelEndPoint$1.run(ChannelEndPoint.java:104)
at org.eclipse.jetty.util.thread.strategy.EatWhatYouKill.runTask(EatWhatYouKill.java:336)
at org.eclipse.jetty.util.thread.strategy.EatWhatYouKill.doProduce(EatWhatYouKill.java:313)
at org.eclipse.jetty.util.thread.strategy.EatWhatYouKill.tryProduce(EatWhatYouKill.java:171)
at org.eclipse.jetty.util.thread.strategy.EatWhatYouKill.run(EatWhatYouKill.java:129)
at org.eclipse.jetty.util.thread.ReservedThreadExecutor$ReservedThread.run(ReservedThreadExecutor.java:383)
at org.eclipse.jetty.util.thread.QueuedThreadPool.runJob(QueuedThreadPool.java:882)
at org.eclipse.jetty.util.thread.QueuedThreadPool$Runner.run(QueuedThreadPool.java:1036)
at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:748)