GitLab: External Control of Critical State Data
CVE-2024-8754 is a high-severity external control of critical state data vulnerability in GitLab, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.1 out of 10. It can be exploited remotely over the network by an attacker with a low-privileged account, without any action from a user. The record lists versions 17.1.7, 17.2.5, 17.3.2 as the first without the flaw, so updating GitLab to one of those releases or later removes the exposure. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.43% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is low compared with other CVEs.
High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.
What to do
- Update GitLab to 17.1.7 or 17.2.5 or 17.3.2, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
Affected products and versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| GitLab | GitLab | 16.9.7 up to, but not including, 17.1.7; 17.2 up to, but not including, 17.2.5; 17.3 up to, but not including, 17.3.2 | 17.1.7, 17.2.5, 17.3.2 |
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
- LowA basic user account is enough.
- User interaction
- NoneNo action by a victim is required.
- Scope
- UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component.
- Confidentiality
- HighAll data handled by the component can be read.
- Integrity
- HighData or code can be modified at will.
- Availability
- NoneAvailability is not affected.
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N. Scored by NVD.
| Scoring system | Score | Severity | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 3.1 | 6.4 | Medium | CNA (gitlab.com) |
| CVSS 3.1 | 8.1 | High | NVD |
Official description
An issue has been discovered in GitLab EE/CE affecting all versions from 16.9.7 prior to 17.1.7, 17.2 prior to 17.2.5, and 17.3 prior to 17.3.2. An improper input validation error allows attacker to squat on accounts via linking arbitrary unclaimed provider identities when JWT authentication is configured.
Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.
The underlying weakness: External Control of Critical State Data
The product stores security-critical state information about its users, or the product itself, in a location that is accessible to unauthorized actors.
How developers prevent this class of flaw
- Understand all the potential locations that are accessible to attackers. For example, some programmers assume that cookies and hidden form fields cannot be modified by an attacker, or they may not consider that environment variables can be modified before a privileged program is invoked.
- Store state information on the server side only. Ensure that the system definitively and unambiguously keeps track of its own state and user state and has rules defined for legitimate state transitions. Do not allow any application user to affect state directly in any way other than through legitimate actions leading to state transitions.
- Use a vetted library or framework that does not allow this weakness to occur or provides constructs that make this weakness easier to avoid. With a stateless protocol such as HTTP, use some frameworks can maintain the state for you. Examples include ASP.NET View State and the OWASP ESAPI Session Management feature. Be careful of language features that provide state support, since these might be provided as a convenience to the programmer and may not be considering security.
More External Control of Critical State Data vulnerabilities (CWE-642)
Timeline
- CVE record published.
- CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: no, technical impact: total).
- Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).
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
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