CVE-2017-0919 in Community Edition
Summary
by MITRE
GitLab Community and Enterprise Editions before 10.1.6, 10.2.6, and 10.3.4 are vulnerable to an authorization bypass issue in the GitLab import component resulting in an attacker being able to perform operations under a group in which they were previously unauthorized.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/24/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-0919 represents a critical authorization bypass flaw within GitLab's import functionality that affected multiple versions of both Community and Enterprise editions. This security weakness resides in the GitLab import component where the system fails to properly validate user permissions when processing import operations, creating a scenario where unauthorized users can escalate their privileges to perform actions within groups they should not have access to. The flaw specifically impacts versions prior to 10.1.6, 10.2.6, and 10.3.4, indicating that these releases contained insufficient access control mechanisms during the import process.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from improper input validation and authorization checks within the GitLab import subsystem. When users attempt to import projects or repositories into groups, the system should verify that the authenticated user possesses appropriate permissions to perform such operations within the target group context. However, the flaw allows attackers to manipulate the import process in a way that bypasses these essential permission checks, effectively enabling them to execute operations under the privileges of the target group rather than their own limited access level. This type of vulnerability aligns with CWE-285, which addresses improper authorization issues in software systems, and demonstrates how insufficient access control validation can lead to privilege escalation.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access, as it enables attackers to potentially gain persistent control over group resources and perform actions that could compromise the entire project ecosystem. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability could import malicious code into protected groups, modify existing project configurations, access sensitive data within those groups, or even establish backdoors for continued unauthorized access. The implications are particularly severe in enterprise environments where GitLab serves as a central collaboration platform for multiple teams and projects, as this flaw could allow a single compromised user account to potentially affect multiple group-level resources. This authorization bypass represents a significant risk to data integrity and confidentiality, as it enables attackers to operate within the security boundaries of legitimate users while remaining undetected.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately implement mitigation strategies including updating to the patched versions 10.1.6, 10.2.6, or 10.3.4, depending on their current GitLab installation. System administrators should also consider implementing additional monitoring controls around import operations to detect suspicious activities that might indicate exploitation attempts. The remediation process should include comprehensive access reviews to ensure that only authorized personnel have the necessary privileges to perform import operations. Security teams should also implement network-level controls that restrict access to GitLab's import endpoints and monitor for anomalous behavior patterns that could indicate privilege escalation attempts. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to privilege escalation techniques and could be leveraged by adversaries to establish persistence within target environments, making it a critical concern for security operations centers and incident response teams.