CVE-2017-11437 in Enterprise Edition
Summary
by MITRE
GitLab Enterprise Edition (EE) before 8.17.7, 9.0.11, 9.1.8, 9.2.8, and 9.3.8 allows an authenticated user with the ability to create a project to use the mirroring feature to potentially read repositories belonging to other users.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/03/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-11437 represents a critical access control flaw in GitLab Enterprise Edition that undermines the security boundaries between user projects and repositories. This issue affects multiple versions of GitLab EE including releases before 8.17.7, 9.0.11, 9.1.8, 9.2.8, and 9.3.8, exposing organizations to potential unauthorized data access through a misconfiguration in the repository mirroring functionality. The flaw specifically targets authenticated users who possess the privilege to create projects within the GitLab instance, creating a dangerous vector for privilege escalation and data exfiltration.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability stems from insufficient validation and access control checks within the repository mirroring feature. When an authenticated user with project creation privileges utilizes the mirroring functionality, the system fails to properly enforce repository access restrictions that should prevent cross-user repository access. This allows malicious actors to leverage the mirroring mechanism to potentially read repositories belonging to other users, effectively bypassing the normal access control mechanisms that should protect user data isolation. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and exploits a weakness in the authorization logic that governs how repository references are handled during the mirroring process.
The operational impact of CVE-2017-11437 extends beyond simple data exposure, as it represents a fundamental breakdown in the security model of GitLab Enterprise Edition. An attacker with minimal privileges can potentially access sensitive code repositories, configuration files, and other intellectual property belonging to other users within the same GitLab instance. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-284, which describes improper access control issues, and can be categorized under ATT&CK technique T1078 for valid accounts and T1566 for credential access through exploitation of software vulnerabilities. Organizations using GitLab EE without proper patching are at risk of unauthorized access to proprietary source code, sensitive configuration data, and other confidential information that should remain isolated between user accounts.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including applying the relevant security patches released by GitLab for versions 8.17.7, 9.0.11, 9.1.8, 9.2.8, and 9.3.8. Additionally, administrators should conduct thorough security audits of their GitLab instances to identify any potential exploitation attempts and review access control policies. The recommended approach includes enabling additional monitoring for repository mirroring activities and implementing network-level restrictions to prevent unauthorized access to sensitive repositories. Organizations should also consider implementing role-based access controls and privilege separation to minimize the impact of potential exploitation. This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and proper access control mechanisms in collaborative development environments where multiple users share the same platform infrastructure.