Gitlab Authorization Bypass Vulnerability Enables Theft of Protected Variables

GitLab has released updated versions for its Community Edition (CE) and Enterprise Edition (EE) platforms, addressing critical vulnerabilities that enable attackers to bypass authorization mechanisms and access protected variables.

Gitlab Authorization Bypass Vulnerability

In response to the discovery of two major security flaws, CVE-2024-0199 and CVE-2024-1299, posing a high risk to data integrity and confidentiality within the GitLab platform, updates have been released, including versions 16.9.2, 16.8.4, and 16.7.7.

GitLab strongly advises all users to upgrade their installations to these latest versions to mitigate the risks associated with these vulnerabilities.

Furthermore, the company has already updated GitLab.com to the patched version, ensuring that online platform users are protected from these security flaws.

CVE-2024-0199: A High Severity Threat

The more critical of the two vulnerabilities, CVE-2024-0199, has been classified as an authorization bypass vulnerability. It affects a broad spectrum of GitLab versions, ranging from 11.3 to the versions just before the patched releases.

This vulnerability enabled attackers to create a payload that could bypass CODEOWNERS restrictions in an old feature branch, granting unauthorized access to protected variables.

Classified with a high severity rating (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N, 7.7), GitLab promptly addressed this flaw in its latest releases.

CVE-2024-1299: Privilege Escalation Concern

The second vulnerability, CVE-2024-1299, pertained to a privilege escalation issue impacting versions 16.8 and 16.9 prior to the security updates.

This flaw enabled users with the custom role of manage_group_access_tokens to rotate and view group access tokens as if they possessed owner permissions, presenting a medium severity risk (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N, 6.5).

GitLab demonstrates its dedication to security through its proactive stance on identifying and resolving vulnerabilities.

The company conducts regular monthly security releases and issues ad-hoc releases for critical vulnerabilities, ensuring swift resolution of potential security concerns.

Users are encouraged to refer to GitLab’s security FAQ and blog posts for comprehensive guidance on maintaining secure GitLab installations.

‍Follow Us on: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook to get the latest security news!