CVE-2022-29171 is a vulnerability identified in Sourcegraph, a widely used code search and navigation engine, specifically affecting versions prior to 3.38.0. The vulnerability arises from improper neutralization of special elements in output used by a downstream component, classified under CWE-74 (Injection). The issue is located in the gitserver service, particularly in the integration of Gitolite code hosts with Phabricator. Sourcegraph site administrators can specify a `callsignCommand` to retrieve Phabricator metadata for Gitolite repositories. However, if an attacker has site-admin privileges on Sourcegraph and administrative access to the bundled Grafana monitoring instance, they can arbitrarily modify this command. This modification allows remote code execution (RCE) on the underlying infrastructure hosting Sourcegraph. The attack requires knowledge of the gitserver IP address or DNS name, which can be discovered through Grafana if running in Kubernetes environments. This vulnerability effectively grants an attacker with the specified privileges the ability to execute arbitrary commands remotely, compromising the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected systems. The vulnerability has been patched in Sourcegraph version 3.38.0. While disabling Gitolite code hosts can serve as a temporary workaround, upgrading to the patched version is strongly recommended to fully mitigate the risk. No known exploits have been reported in the wild to date, but the potential impact remains significant due to the level of access required and the nature of the vulnerability.

For European organizations utilizing Sourcegraph versions prior to 3.38.0, this vulnerability poses a significant risk, especially in environments where Sourcegraph is integrated with Gitolite and Phabricator and where administrative privileges are distributed among multiple personnel. Successful exploitation could lead to remote code execution on critical infrastructure, potentially resulting in unauthorized access to sensitive source code repositories, disruption of development workflows, and broader compromise of internal networks. This could affect intellectual property confidentiality, disrupt software delivery pipelines, and damage organizational reputation. Given the integration with Grafana, which is often used for monitoring, attackers could also manipulate monitoring data or disable alerts, further complicating incident detection and response. The requirement for site-admin and Grafana administrative privileges limits the attack surface but does not eliminate risk, especially in large organizations with complex access controls. The impact is heightened in sectors with stringent data protection requirements, such as finance, healthcare, and critical infrastructure, common in Europe. Additionally, organizations using Kubernetes for deployment may face increased exposure due to the ease of discovering gitserver endpoints via Grafana.

1. Immediate upgrade of Sourcegraph instances to version 3.38.0 or later to apply the official patch addressing this vulnerability. 2. Disable Gitolite code hosts if they are not essential to operations, as a temporary mitigation measure. 3. Review and tighten access controls to ensure that only trusted personnel have site-admin privileges on Sourcegraph and administrative access to the bundled Grafana instance. Implement role-based access control (RBAC) with the principle of least privilege. 4. Audit existing configurations of the `callsignCommand` parameter to detect any unauthorized or suspicious modifications. 5. Monitor Grafana dashboards and logs for unusual access patterns or attempts to enumerate gitserver IP addresses or DNS names. 6. Implement network segmentation to isolate Sourcegraph and its components, limiting lateral movement in case of compromise. 7. Employ runtime application self-protection (RASP) or endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to detect anomalous command executions on servers hosting Sourcegraph. 8. Conduct regular security training for administrators to raise awareness about the risks of privilege misuse and the importance of secure configuration management. 9. Establish incident response procedures specifically for Sourcegraph-related incidents, including rapid patch deployment and forensic analysis capabilities.