CVE-2021-43823 | Side-channel attack in Sourcegraph

Sourcegraph is a code search and navigation engine. Sourcegraph prior to version 3.33.2 is vulnerable to a side-channel attack where strings in private source code could be guessed by an authenticated but unauthorized actor. This issue affects the Saved Searches and Code Monitoring features. A successful attack would require an authenticated bad actor to create many Saved Searches or Code Monitors to receive confirmation that a specific string exists. This could allow an attacker to guess formatted tokens in source code, such as API keys. This issue was patched in version 3.33.2 and any future versions of Sourcegraph. We strongly encourage upgrading to secure versions. If you are unable to, you may disable Saved Searches and Code Monitors.

Published: 2021-12-13 Last update: 2026-06-17 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]
NVD Status：Modified，CVE State: published
View at NVD, CVE.org, EUVD

CVE-2021-43823 is rated Moderate Risk (44.8/100): CVSS Medium severity, with medium exploitation likelihood (EPSS 0.84%). Review affected assets and schedule remediation.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2021-43823

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2026-06-15 0.54% 0.84% +0.29%
2 2026-05-27 0.41% 0.54% +0.13%
3 2026-05-06 — 0.41% —

Full EPSS history (12 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2021-43823

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
6.5 3.1 MEDIUM
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:L)
A normal user session is enough; they don’t have to be admin.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:N)
Data isn’t meaningfully altered or forged.
Availability (A:N)
Service keeps running; no real outage angle.
 2.8 3.6 [email protected]
4.0 2.0 MEDIUM
AV:N/AC:L/Au:S/C:P/I:N/A:N Click to expand
Access vector (AV:N)
Can be exploited remotely over network reachability.
Access complexity (AC:L)
Exploitation conditions are straightforward and predictable.
Authentication (AU:S)
A single authentication is required.
Confidentiality impact (C:P)
Partial confidentiality impact.
Integrity impact (I:N)
No integrity impact.
Availability impact (A:N)
No availability impact.
 8.0 2.9 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2021-43823

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2021-43823

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
sourcegraph sourcegraph < 3.33.2 cpe:2.3:a:sourcegraph:sourcegraph:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2021-43823

cvelogic Threat Intelligence