Arbitrary Code Injection Affecting @backstage/plugin-techdocs-node package, versions <1.13.11>=1.14.0 <1.14.1

@backstage/plugin-techdocs-node is a Common node.js functionalities for TechDocs, to be shared between techdocs-backend plugin and techdocs-cli

Affected versions of this package are vulnerable to Arbitrary Code Injection via the processing of MkDocs hooks, when TechDocs is configured with runIn: local. An attacker who can submit or modify a repository's mkdocs.yml file can execute arbitrary Python code on the TechDocs build server via MkDocs hooks configuration.

If you cannot upgrade immediately:

1. Use Docker mode with restricted access: Configure TechDocs with runIn: docker instead of runIn: local. This provides container isolation, though it does not fully mitigate the risk.
2. Restrict repository access: Limit who can modify mkdocs.yml files in repositories that TechDocs processes. Only allow trusted contributors.
3. Manual review: Implement PR review requirements for changes to mkdocs.yml files to detect malicious hooks configurations before they are merged.
4. Downgrade MkDocs: Use MkDocs < 1.4.0 (e.g., 1.3.1) which does not support hooks. Note: This may limit access to newer MkDocs features.

• GitHub Commit
• Red Hat Bugzilla Bug