CVE-2022-36804 in Bitbucket Server and Data Center
Summary
by MITRE • 08/25/2022
Multiple API endpoints in Atlassian Bitbucket Server and Data Center 7.0.0 before version 7.6.17, from version 7.7.0 before version 7.17.10, from version 7.18.0 before version 7.21.4, from version 8.0.0 before version 8.0.3, from version 8.1.0 before version 8.1.3, and from version 8.2.0 before version 8.2.2, and from version 8.3.0 before 8.3.1 allows remote attackers with read permissions to a public or private Bitbucket repository to execute arbitrary code by sending a malicious HTTP request. This vulnerability was reported via our Bug Bounty Program by TheGrandPew.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/22/2024
This vulnerability represents a critical remote code execution flaw affecting multiple versions of Atlassian Bitbucket Server and Data Center across several release branches. The issue stems from insufficient input validation within multiple API endpoints that process HTTP requests containing crafted payloads. Attackers with read permissions to any repository, whether public or private, can exploit this weakness to execute arbitrary code on the affected systems. The vulnerability was identified through Atlassian's official bug bounty program, highlighting the importance of community-driven security research in identifying critical flaws. The affected versions span across major release lines including 7.0.0 through 7.21.4, 8.0.0 through 8.2.2, and 8.3.0 through 8.3.1, indicating a widespread impact across the product's lifecycle. This vulnerability maps to CWE-74 and CWE-94 within the Common Weakness Enumeration framework, specifically addressing improper neutralization of special elements used in a code context and code injection flaws. The attack vector involves sending malicious HTTP requests that bypass normal access controls and authentication mechanisms, allowing unauthenticated code execution with the privileges of the Bitbucket service account.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple code execution to potentially compromise entire deployment environments. An attacker with read access to a repository can escalate privileges to full system control, enabling data exfiltration, persistence mechanisms, and lateral movement within the network. This represents a significant risk for organizations using Bitbucket as their primary source code management platform, particularly in environments where repository permissions are not strictly enforced or where public repositories exist. The vulnerability's exploitation requires minimal privileges, making it particularly dangerous as it can be leveraged by threat actors who gain access to any repository, regardless of its security posture. Organizations with multiple Bitbucket instances or those using automated CI/CD pipelines that integrate with Bitbucket are at heightened risk, as successful exploitation could provide attackers with access to source code repositories, build artifacts, and deployment configurations. The attack complexity is relatively low, as it only requires sending specially crafted HTTP requests to the vulnerable API endpoints, making it an attractive target for automated exploitation tools.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should include immediate patching of all affected versions to the latest available releases, which address the input validation flaws in the affected API endpoints. Organizations should implement network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure of Bitbucket instances to untrusted networks, particularly restricting direct internet access to these systems. Additionally, monitoring for suspicious API requests and implementing web application firewalls can help detect and block exploitation attempts. Security teams should conduct comprehensive audits of their Bitbucket configurations, ensuring that repository permissions are properly enforced and that unnecessary API endpoints are disabled. The vulnerability's classification under ATT&CK technique T1059.007 (Command and Scripting Interpreter: PowerShell) and T1068 (Exploitation for Privilege Escalation) highlights the need for robust endpoint detection and response capabilities. Organizations should also consider implementing runtime protection mechanisms that can detect and prevent code injection attempts, particularly focusing on the specific API endpoints identified in the vulnerability. Regular security assessments of Bitbucket configurations and access controls are essential to prevent exploitation attempts and maintain overall security posture. The vulnerability underscores the importance of maintaining up-to-date software versions and implementing comprehensive security monitoring across all development infrastructure components.