Backstage: Improper validation of MkDocs plugin configuration in TechDocsGHSA-q38j-6vcm-2f5m
HIGHFix: backstage/backstage@28aa82aGHSA-q38j-6vcm-2f5m is a high-severity (CVSS 7.7) Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) vulnerability in @backstage/plugin-techdocs-node. A fix is available for @backstage/plugin-techdocs-node — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Exploitation Status
No confirmed exploitation observed yet
- CISA’s own triage has not observed active exploitation or public proof-of-concept code for this CVE as of its last assessment.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for GHSA-q38j-6vcm-2f5m.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.
How urgent is this, really
GHSA-q38j-6vcm-2f5m by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). Outside the shaded patch-first corner.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 394,803 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the < 10% band (highlighted). Counts from FIRST.org, log-scaled.
Real-World Exposure
How broadly this vulnerability is actually deployed: weekly install volume shows current usage, and reverse-dependency count shows how many other packages break if it stays unpatched.
@backstage/plugin-techdocs-nodenpmDescription
Impact
An authenticated attacker with control over a TechDocs source repository could cause a documentation build to retrieve and publish data from network locations reachable by the build environment. Exposure depends on deployment topology, build mode, and target endpoint protections. Modern cloud metadata services that require tokens or special headers are not directly accessible through the affected behavior.
Patches
Upgrade @backstage/plugin-techdocs-node to a patched version for the applicable release line:
1.14.x: upgrade to1.14.7or later in that line, available in Backstage v1.50.6.1.15.x: upgrade to1.15.5or later, available in Backstage v1.54.8.- Current mainline: upgrade to
2.0.0or later, available in Backstage v1.55.0.
The update removes MkDocs plugins outside the built-in allowlist. To retain additional plugins, review them and configure techdocs.generator.mkdocs.dangerouslyAllowAdditionalPlugins, or supply dangerouslyAllowAdditionalPlugins when creating the generator directly. Plugins supplied through defaultPlugins remain permitted.
Workarounds
- Restrict control of TechDocs source repositories and catalog registration to trusted maintainers.
- Run documentation builders with outbound access to private and link-local networks denied.
- Require token- or header-protected cloud instance metadata services.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 📦npm | @backstage/plugin-techdocs-node | ≥ 0.11.12&&< 1.14.7 | 1.14.7npm install @backstage/plugin-techdocs-node@1.14.7 |
| 📦npm | @backstage/plugin-techdocs-node | ≥ 1.15.0&&< 1.15.5 | 1.15.5npm install @backstage/plugin-techdocs-node@1.15.5 |
Affected Products
backstagelinuxfoundationbackstage plugin-techdocs-nodelinuxfoundationDetection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for @backstage/plugin-techdocs-node, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update @backstage/plugin-techdocs-node to 1.14.7 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-q38j-6vcm-2f5m is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
Restrict outbound requests from the affected component to an allowlist of hosts, block access to link-local and internal address ranges at the network layer, and require authentication on internal services so a forged request cannot reach them unauthenticated.
Fixing This On Your OS
If you run this on a Linux distribution, patch through your package manager against the distro's own security advisory below — it tracks the exact backported fix for your release, which can ship on a different timeline (and sometimes a different severity) than the upstream project.
This vulnerability is rated as Moderate impact for Red Hat Developer Hub and Ansible Automation Platform because exploitation requires authenticated privileges to modify documentation source repositories. In typical deployments, generated documentation builds execute within isolated environments where sensitive…
Mitigation for this issue is either not available or the currently available options do not meet the Red Hat Product Security criteria comprising ease of use and deployment, applicability to widespread installation base, or stability.Source: Red Hat security advisory for GHSA-q38j-6vcm-2f5m (CC BY 4.0)
Frequently Asked Questions
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