CVE-2022-43776 is a Server Side Request Forgery (SSRF) vulnerability affecting Metabase versions prior to 44.5. The vulnerability exists in the /api/geojson endpoint, where the 'url' parameter is used to fetch external resources. Due to insufficient validation and reliance on blacklists, attackers can bypass protections by exploiting HTTP 301 and 302 redirects to indirect internal or protected network resources. SSRF vulnerabilities allow attackers to coerce the server into making HTTP requests to arbitrary locations, potentially exposing internal services, metadata endpoints, or other sensitive resources that are not directly accessible externally. In this case, the vulnerability does not require user interaction but does require low privileges (PR:L) on the system. The CVSS score of 6.5 (medium severity) reflects the high confidentiality impact (C:H) but no impact on integrity or availability. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-918, which covers SSRF issues. No known exploits in the wild have been reported, and no official patches are linked in the provided data, but upgrading to version 44.5 or later is implied to remediate the issue. The attack vector is network-based (AV:N), and the vulnerability scope is unchanged (S:U), meaning the impact is limited to the vulnerable component itself without affecting other components or systems.

For European organizations using Metabase versions earlier than 44.5, this SSRF vulnerability poses a significant risk to confidentiality. Attackers could exploit the vulnerability to access internal network resources, including sensitive internal APIs, cloud metadata services, or other protected infrastructure components. This could lead to unauthorized data disclosure, reconnaissance for further attacks, or pivoting within the network. Since Metabase is a popular open-source business intelligence tool used for data visualization and analytics, organizations relying on it for sensitive data analysis could face exposure of confidential business or customer data. The vulnerability does not directly impact data integrity or availability but could facilitate further attacks if internal services are exposed. European organizations with strict data protection regulations (e.g., GDPR) must consider the risk of data leakage and potential compliance violations. The lack of known exploits reduces immediate risk but does not eliminate the threat, especially in targeted attacks or advanced persistent threat scenarios.

To mitigate CVE-2022-43776, European organizations should promptly upgrade Metabase to version 44.5 or later, where the vulnerability is addressed. If immediate upgrade is not feasible, organizations should implement network-level controls to restrict Metabase server outbound HTTP requests, limiting them to trusted external endpoints only. Employing strict egress filtering and firewall rules can reduce the risk of SSRF exploitation. Additionally, organizations should audit and monitor logs for unusual outbound requests from Metabase servers, especially those involving redirects or requests to internal IP ranges. Application-level mitigations include disabling or restricting the /api/geojson endpoint if not required, or implementing custom validation to ensure only safe URLs are processed. Regular vulnerability scanning and penetration testing focused on SSRF vectors can help identify residual risks. Finally, educating developers and administrators about SSRF risks and secure coding practices will help prevent similar issues in the future.