CVE-2022-24832 is a medium-severity vulnerability affecting GoCD, an open-source continuous delivery server widely used for automating software deployment pipelines. The vulnerability resides in the bundled gocd-ldap-authentication-plugin included with GoCD Server versions from 17.5.0 up to but not including 22.1.0. The issue stems from improper neutralization of special characters in LDAP queries constructed using the username parameter. Specifically, the plugin fails to correctly escape special characters when building LDAP queries for authentication purposes. This flaw allows an authenticated user—who has valid LDAP credentials and access to a GoCD server configured with LDAP authorization—to craft malicious LDAP queries. Although this vulnerability does not permit direct arbitrary LDAP data exfiltration, it enables an attacker to perform brute-force style queries to infer sensitive information about other LDAP entries. Such information could include alternate usernames, attribute fields, or even hashed passwords stored in the LDAP directory. The attack requires the attacker to be an authenticated LDAP user on the GoCD server, limiting the scope to insiders or compromised accounts. The vulnerability was addressed in GoCD version 22.1.0, which includes the fixed gocd-ldap-authentication-plugin version 2.2.0-144. No known exploits have been reported in the wild to date. The root cause is classified under CWE-74, which concerns improper neutralization of special elements in output used by downstream components, leading to injection vulnerabilities. This vulnerability highlights the risk of insufficient input sanitization in authentication plugins that interact with LDAP directories, potentially exposing sensitive directory information to authorized users with malicious intent.

For European organizations using GoCD with LDAP authentication enabled, this vulnerability poses a risk of unauthorized information disclosure within their internal directory services. Attackers with valid LDAP credentials could leverage this flaw to enumerate user accounts, discover alternate attributes, or gather hashed password data, which could facilitate further attacks such as credential cracking or privilege escalation. This could undermine the confidentiality of user data and potentially the integrity of authentication mechanisms if attackers use the information to craft more sophisticated attacks. While the vulnerability does not allow direct remote code execution or system compromise, the ability to glean sensitive LDAP information can aid attackers in lateral movement and persistence within enterprise environments. Organizations in sectors with stringent data protection requirements, such as finance, healthcare, and government, may face compliance risks if directory data is exposed. Additionally, the exploitation requires authenticated access, so the impact is primarily on insider threats or compromised accounts rather than external attackers without credentials. However, given the critical role of GoCD in continuous delivery pipelines, any compromise or information leakage could disrupt software deployment processes, affecting availability and operational integrity.

To mitigate this vulnerability, European organizations should promptly upgrade GoCD servers to version 22.1.0 or later, which includes the patched gocd-ldap-authentication-plugin (v2.2.0-144). Until upgrades can be applied, organizations should consider the following specific measures: 1) Restrict LDAP user permissions to the minimum necessary, limiting the ability of users to perform broad LDAP queries; 2) Monitor LDAP query logs and GoCD authentication logs for unusual or repeated query patterns indicative of brute-force enumeration attempts; 3) Implement strong account management practices, including multi-factor authentication (MFA) for LDAP users accessing GoCD to reduce the risk of compromised credentials; 4) Use network segmentation to isolate GoCD servers and LDAP directories, limiting access to trusted users and systems; 5) Review and harden LDAP schema permissions to prevent exposure of sensitive attributes; 6) Employ application-layer firewalls or intrusion detection systems capable of detecting anomalous LDAP query patterns; 7) Educate administrators and users about the risks of injection vulnerabilities and the importance of timely patching. These targeted steps go beyond generic advice by focusing on minimizing the attack surface related to LDAP query abuse and enhancing detection capabilities.