CVE-2024-22038: obs-scm-bridge Information Disclosure

CVE-2024-22038 Overview

CVE-2024-22038 affects obs-scm-bridge, the Open Build Service component that integrates Git source repositories into package builds. Attackers who publish specially crafted Git repositories can trigger information disclosure or denial of service when the bridge processes those repositories. The underlying weakness is classified as [CWE-59] (Improper Link Resolution Before File Access, or link following).

The issue requires local attack context and user interaction, but a successful attack results in high impact on integrity and availability of the build host processing the repository.

Critical Impact
A malicious Git repository processed by obs-scm-bridge can leak files outside the intended checkout path or crash the bridge, disrupting package build pipelines that depend on it.

Affected Products

obs-scm-bridge (Open Build Service SCM bridge component)
SUSE distributions shipping obs-scm-bridge
openSUSE Build Service deployments using the SCM bridge integration

Discovery Timeline

2024-11-28 - CVE-2024-22038 published to the National Vulnerability Database
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-22038

Vulnerability Analysis

obs-scm-bridge clones and processes Git repositories submitted to Open Build Service so their contents can be consumed by package builds. The vulnerability groups several related defects that surface when the bridge parses attacker-controlled repository content. A crafted repository can coerce the bridge into following symbolic links or references it should have rejected, exposing files outside the intended working tree or triggering unrecoverable errors that halt processing.

Because the bridge runs as part of the build backend, files accessible to the bridge process, including build service credentials and internal configuration, fall within the disclosure scope. The denial-of-service variant aborts repository ingestion and blocks downstream builds that depend on the affected package.

Root Cause

The root cause is improper link resolution before file access [CWE-59]. obs-scm-bridge does not sufficiently validate symlinks, submodules, or path references contained in submitted repositories before opening the referenced files. A repository containing a symbolic link pointing to an absolute path, or metadata that resolves outside the checkout directory, causes the bridge to read or operate on unintended files.

Attack Vector

Exploitation requires an attacker to submit or publish a malicious Git repository that the target Open Build Service instance processes through obs-scm-bridge. User interaction is required, typically an operator or automated workflow triggering ingestion. The attack surface is local to the build host running the bridge. No authentication to the underlying system is required beyond the ability to have a repository ingested.

See the SUSE Bugzilla entry for CVE-2024-22038 for vendor-tracked technical details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-22038

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected obs-scm-bridge process crashes or repeated non-zero exit codes during repository ingestion.
Access attempts by the bridge to files outside the working checkout directory, such as /etc/, /root/, or build service credential paths.
Git repositories submitted to the build service containing symbolic links resolving to absolute paths.
Submodule or .gitmodules entries referencing local file system paths rather than remote URLs.

Detection Strategies

Audit ingested Git repositories for symlinks and inspect their targets before running the bridge.
Monitor system call telemetry on the build host for openat or readlink calls resolving outside the expected repository working directory.
Enable verbose logging in obs-scm-bridge and alert on parse failures or unexpected file access errors.

Monitoring Recommendations

Track obs-scm-bridge service health and alert on abnormal termination or elevated failure rates that suggest denial-of-service attempts.
Correlate repository submission events with subsequent file access patterns from the bridge process.
Retain logs of repository URLs and commit hashes processed by the bridge to support incident review.

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-22038

Immediate Actions Required

Apply the updated obs-scm-bridge package from your distribution vendor as soon as it is available.
Restrict which users or automation pipelines can submit repositories to the affected Open Build Service instance.
Review recent build logs and file access telemetry for signs of pre-patch exploitation.

Patch Information

Refer to the SUSE Bugzilla entry for CVE-2024-22038 for the current patch status and package versions containing the fix. Apply distribution-provided updates for obs-scm-bridge on all build hosts.

Workarounds

Pre-scan submitted repositories for absolute-path symlinks and reject those that resolve outside the working tree.
Run obs-scm-bridge under a dedicated low-privilege service account with a restricted view of the file system, using namespaces or a chroot where feasible.
Disable automatic ingestion of untrusted external repositories until the patch is deployed.

bash

# Configuration example: identify symlinks pointing outside a repo before ingestion
find /path/to/repo -type l -print0 | while IFS= read -r -d '' link; do
  target=$(readlink -f "$link")
  case "$target" in
    /path/to/repo/*) ;;
    *) echo "Rejecting out-of-tree symlink: $link -> $target"; exit 1 ;;
  esac
done