CVE-2023-35926 Explained : Impact and Mitigation
Learn about CVE-2023-35926, an insecure sandbox vulnerability in the Backstage Scaffolder plugin. Find out the impact, affected systems, exploitation mechanism, and steps to mitigate the risk.
This article provides detailed information about CVE-2023-35926, which highlights an insecure sandbox in the Backstage Scaffolder plugin.
Understanding CVE-2023-35926
This CVE identifies an insecure sandbox in the Backstage Scaffolder plugin that could lead to high-risk code injection vulnerabilities.
What is CVE-2023-35926?
Backstage is an open platform for building developer portals. The Backstage scaffolder-backend plugin utilized a sandbox that allowed for code injection. A vulnerability in the templating library could be exploited by a malicious actor with write access to execute remote code on the scaffolder-backend instance, potentially leading to significant security risks.
The Impact of CVE-2023-35926
The vulnerability could result in high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact, posing a severe security threat to affected systems.
Technical Details of CVE-2023-35926
This section delves into the technical aspects of the CVE.
Vulnerability Description
The sandbox used by the Backstage Scaffolder plugin was susceptible to improper control of code generation ('Code Injection'), enabling threat actors to exploit the sandbox for malicious code execution.
Affected Systems and Versions
The vulnerability affects Backstage plugin versions prior to 1.15.0, making systems running on older versions vulnerable to code injection attacks.
Exploitation Mechanism
Malicious actors with write access to a registered scaffolder template could manipulate the template, allowing them to inject remote code into the application, thereby compromising its security.
Mitigation and Prevention
Understanding how to address and prevent CVE-2023-35926 is crucial for ensuring system security.
Immediate Steps to Take
Users are strongly advised to upgrade their Backstage plugin to version 1.15.0 or higher to mitigate the security risk posed by the vulnerability.
Long-Term Security Practices
Implementing secure coding practices, regularly monitoring for vulnerabilities, and conducting thorough security assessments can help prevent future code injection exploits.
Patching and Updates
Regularly applying security patches and staying informed about the latest updates from Backstage can help safeguard systems from potential vulnerabilities.