CVE-2025-58178 is a high-severity command injection vulnerability affecting the SonarQube Scan GitHub Action versions from 4 up to but not including 5.3.1. SonarQube is a widely used static code analysis tool that integrates into continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines to inspect code quality and security. The vulnerability arises from improper neutralization of special elements (CWE-77) in the input arguments passed to the SonarQube Scan GitHub Action. Specifically, untrusted input arguments are processed as shell expressions without adequate sanitization, allowing an attacker to inject arbitrary commands that the shell executes. This flaw can be exploited by an attacker with limited privileges (low privileges required) and does not require user interaction. The vulnerability affects both SonarQube Server and Cloud environments that use the vulnerable GitHub Action versions. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 7.8, reflecting high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Exploitation could lead to arbitrary code execution within the context of the CI/CD pipeline, potentially compromising build environments, leaking sensitive source code, or injecting malicious code into software artifacts. Although no known exploits are currently reported in the wild, the presence of this vulnerability in a critical development toolchain component makes it a significant risk. A fixed version, 5.3.1, has been released to address the issue by properly sanitizing input arguments to prevent command injection.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a substantial risk due to the widespread adoption of SonarQube in software development and DevOps pipelines. Exploitation could lead to unauthorized command execution within build environments, risking exposure of proprietary source code, intellectual property theft, and insertion of malicious code into production software. This can undermine software supply chain integrity and lead to downstream compromise of customer systems. Organizations in sectors with stringent data protection requirements, such as finance, healthcare, and critical infrastructure, could face regulatory penalties if breaches occur. Additionally, disruption of CI/CD pipelines could delay software releases, impacting business operations and competitiveness. The vulnerability's ability to compromise confidentiality, integrity, and availability simultaneously elevates its threat level. European companies relying on automated code quality and security scanning integrated with GitHub Actions are particularly vulnerable if they have not updated to the patched version.

European organizations should immediately audit their CI/CD pipelines to identify usage of the SonarQube Scan GitHub Action versions 4 through 5.3.0. The primary mitigation is to upgrade to version 5.3.1 or later, which contains the fix for this command injection vulnerability. Until the upgrade is applied, organizations should restrict access to the GitHub repositories and workflows that utilize this action to trusted personnel only. Implement strict input validation and sanitization on any parameters passed to the action, avoiding the use of untrusted or user-supplied inputs. Employ GitHub Actions workflow permissions to limit the scope of what actions can execute and use branch protection rules to prevent unauthorized workflow changes. Monitoring CI/CD logs for unusual command executions or anomalies can help detect exploitation attempts. Additionally, consider isolating build environments and using ephemeral runners to reduce the impact of potential compromise. Regularly review and update dependencies and third-party actions to minimize exposure to known vulnerabilities.