Decoded: Small Business Cybersecurity News & Insights

Gogs SSH Server Vulnerability

Published Date: December 25, 2024

Package Affected Versions Patched Versions Severity
📦 gogs.io/gogs (Go) <= 0.13.0 0.13.1 Critical

Description

đź“š Vulnerability Overview


In Gogs versions 0.13.0 and earlier, an argument injection vulnerability exists in the built-in SSH server.

When the SSH server is enabled ([server] START_SSH_SERVER = true), any unprivileged user with an SSH key can run arbitrary commands on the Gogs server. These commands execute with the same permissions as the user specified by RUN_USER in the configuration file.

This flaw could allow attackers to:

  • Access other users’ code.

  • Modify repositories.

  • Potentially gain control over the server.

Patches & Workarounds

🛠️ Fix


Upgrade Gogs to:

  • v0.13.1 (patched version)

  • v0.14.0+dev (latest development version)


The patch removes the vulnerable behavior by making the SSH env command a passthrough, effectively disabling the feature.



đź©ą Workaround (Temporary Fix)


If upgrading isn’t possible:

  • Disable the built-in SSH server on all operating systems except Windows.


To do this, set:

[server]
START_SSH_SERVER = false





đź“ť Recommendation



  • Update to a patched version immediately.

  • If an update isn’t possible, disable the SSH server.

  • Review server logs for suspicious SSH activity.

References

https://www.sonarsource.com/blog/securing-developer-tools-unpatched-code-vulnerabilities-in-gogs-1

https://www.vicarius.io/vsociety/posts/argument-injection-in-gogs-ssh-server-cve-2024-39930
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