CVE-2022-31155 in Sourcegraph
Summary
by MITRE • 08/01/2022
Sourcegraph is an opensource code search and navigation engine. In Sourcegraph versions before 3.41.0, it is possible for an attacker to delete other users’ saved searches due to a bug in the authorization check. The vulnerability does not allow the reading of other users’ saved searches, only overwriting them with attacker-controlled searches. The issue is patched in Sourcegraph version 3.41.0. There is no workaround for this issue and updating to a secure version is highly recommended.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/02/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-31155 represents a critical authorization flaw in Sourcegraph, an open source code search and navigation engine widely used by development teams for code exploration and analysis. This issue affects versions prior to 3.41.0 and stems from insufficient access control mechanisms that fail to properly validate user permissions when processing delete operations on saved searches. The flaw manifests as a privilege escalation vulnerability where authenticated attackers can manipulate the system to overwrite saved searches belonging to other users, effectively deleting or modifying their search configurations without proper authorization. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-284 Access Control Bypass, which specifically addresses inadequate access control mechanisms that allow unauthorized users to access resources or perform operations they should not be permitted to execute. From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates significant security risks for organizations relying on Sourcegraph for code navigation and search functionality, as it enables attackers to disrupt other users' work environments and potentially compromise development workflows. The impact extends beyond simple data deletion, as saved searches often contain critical configuration settings and custom search parameters that developers depend upon for efficient code exploration.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs within Sourcegraph's authorization framework where the system fails to properly verify user ownership or permission levels when processing delete requests for saved searches. Attackers can exploit this by crafting malicious requests that target specific search identifiers belonging to other users, bypassing the normal access control checks that should validate whether the requesting user has the appropriate permissions to modify or delete another user's saved searches. This flaw operates at the application layer and does not provide read access to other users' search content, but rather enables write operations that can overwrite or delete search configurations. The vulnerability demonstrates a classic authorization bypass pattern where the system assumes that authenticated users can perform operations on resources they own, but fails to properly validate access rights for operations that might affect other users' data. The attack vector is particularly concerning as it requires minimal privileges beyond basic authentication, making it accessible to any authenticated user within the system who can identify valid search identifiers belonging to other users.
Organizations utilizing Sourcegraph versions prior to 3.41.0 face significant operational risks due to this vulnerability, as it enables attackers to systematically disrupt development workflows and potentially cause productivity losses across development teams. The ability to overwrite saved searches can lead to loss of important search configurations, breaking developers' customized code navigation setups and forcing them to recreate their search parameters. From a security perspective, this vulnerability represents a serious concern for environments where Sourcegraph serves as a critical component of the development infrastructure, as it allows attackers to create persistent disruptions that may not be immediately apparent. The vulnerability also aligns with ATT&CK technique T1485 Data Destruction, where adversaries seek to corrupt or destroy data to disrupt operations, though in this case the impact is more subtle and focused on user-specific configurations rather than system-wide data loss. The lack of a workaround for this specific vulnerability means that organizations must prioritize immediate patching to address the authorization bypass, as no temporary mitigation strategies exist to prevent exploitation of this particular flaw.
The remediation approach for CVE-2022-31155 requires immediate deployment of Sourcegraph version 3.41.0 or later, which implements proper authorization checks to prevent unauthorized deletion of saved searches. This update addresses the underlying access control implementation by strengthening the validation mechanisms that ensure users can only perform operations on saved searches they own or have explicit permission to modify. Organizations should conduct thorough testing of the patched version to ensure compatibility with existing configurations and workflows, while also reviewing their access control policies to verify that appropriate user permissions are in place. Security teams should monitor for any signs of exploitation attempts in system logs and implement logging controls to detect unauthorized access attempts to saved search resources. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical importance of proper access control implementation in collaborative software platforms and highlights the need for regular security assessments of authentication and authorization mechanisms in development tools. Organizations should also consider implementing additional monitoring and alerting for user activities involving saved search modifications, as this vulnerability could potentially be leveraged as part of broader attack campaigns targeting development environments and code repositories.