GitLab: Exposure of Sensitive Information Due to Incompatible Policies
CVE-2023-3441 is a critical-severity exposure of sensitive information due to incompatible policies vulnerability in GitLab, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.1 out of 10. It can be exploited remotely over the network by an attacker with administrator privileges, without any action from a user. The record lists version 16.4 as the first without the flaw, so updating GitLab to that release or later removes the exposure. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.65% chance of exploitation within 30 days, higher than 52% of scored CVEs.
Critical severity: a successful attack would have severe impact.
What to do
- Update GitLab to 16.4 or a later version.
Affected products and versions
Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.
How the severity score breaks down
- Attack vector
- NetworkCan be exploited remotely over a network, including the internet.
- Attack complexity
- LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
- Privileges required
- HighAdministrator-level access is required first.
- User interaction
- NoneNo action by a victim is required.
- Scope
- ChangedThe attack can reach beyond the vulnerable component into other systems.
- Confidentiality
- HighAll data handled by the component can be read.
- Integrity
- HighData or code can be modified at will.
- Availability
- HighThe component can be taken down completely.
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H. Scored by NVD.
| Scoring system | Score | Severity | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 3.1 | 6.6 | Medium | CNA (gitlab.com) |
| CVSS 3.1 | 9.1 | Critical | NVD |
Official description
An issue has been discovered in GitLab EE/CE affecting all versions starting from 8.0 before 16.4. The product did not sufficiently warn about security implications of granting merge rights to protected branches.
Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.
The underlying weakness: Exposure of Sensitive Information Due to Incompatible Policies
The product's intended functionality exposes information to certain actors in accordance with the developer's security policy, but this information is regarded as sensitive according to the intended security policies of other stakeholders such as the product's administrator, users, or others whose information is being processed.
How developers prevent this class of flaw
- When handling information, the developer must consider whether the information is regarded as sensitive by different stakeholders, such as users or administrators. Each stakeholder effectively has its own intended security policy that the product is expected to uphold. When a developer does not treat that information as sensitive, this can introduce a vulnerability that violates the expectations of the product's users.
More Exposure of Sensitive Information Due to Incompatible Policies vulnerabilities (CWE-213)
Timeline
- CVE record published.
- CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: poc, automatable: no, technical impact: partial).
- Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).
References
Technical write-ups (may include proof of concept)
- gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/416482Exploit, Issue Tracking
- gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/417284Exploit, Issue Tracking
Other references
- hackerone.com/reports/2033561Permissions Required
- hackerone.com/reports/2041385Permissions Required
Other vulnerabilities in GitLab
- 7.1 High severity
- 8.2 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 10.0 Critical severity
- 10.0 Critical severity
- 7.3 High severity
Recent Exposure of Sensitive Information Due to Incompatible Policies vulnerabilities
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
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