CVE-2018-17976 in Community Edition
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in GitLab Community Edition 11.x before 11.1.8, 11.2.x before 11.2.5, and 11.3.x before 11.3.2. There is Information Exposure via Epic change descriptions.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/13/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-17976 represents a critical information exposure flaw within GitLab Community Edition across multiple version ranges. This issue affects systems running GitLab versions prior to 11.1.8, 11.2.5, and 11.3.2, creating a significant security risk for organizations utilizing these software versions. The flaw specifically manifests in the handling of Epic change descriptions, where sensitive information may be inadvertently exposed to unauthorized users within the system.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate access controls and input validation mechanisms within GitLab's Epic management functionality. When users modify Epic descriptions or view change logs associated with Epics, the system fails to properly sanitize or restrict access to potentially sensitive data that might be contained within these descriptions. This information exposure occurs because the application does not adequately verify user permissions before displaying change information, allowing users with limited access levels to potentially view confidential details that should be restricted to specific roles or project members.
From an operational standpoint, this vulnerability creates substantial risk for organizations relying on GitLab for project management and code collaboration. Attackers could exploit this flaw to gain unauthorized access to sensitive project information, including but not limited to technical specifications, business strategies, or internal communications that might be embedded within Epic change descriptions. The impact extends beyond simple information disclosure as it may enable further attacks through the acquisition of intelligence about project structures, timelines, and development approaches that could be leveraged for more sophisticated exploitation attempts.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-200, which categorizes information exposure issues as weaknesses that allow unauthorized information disclosure. This classification emphasizes the fundamental security principle that systems should not reveal information beyond what is necessary for authorized users to perform their legitimate functions. Additionally, from an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to the information gathering phase where adversaries seek to understand system configurations and identify potential attack vectors through the collection of sensitive data.
Organizations should immediately prioritize updating their GitLab installations to versions 11.1.8, 11.2.5, or 11.3.2, whichever applies to their current deployment. The recommended mitigation strategy involves not only applying the vendor-provided patches but also implementing additional monitoring for unauthorized access attempts to Epic-related functionality. Security teams should conduct comprehensive audits of their GitLab configurations to ensure proper access controls are in place and review change logs for any suspicious activity that might indicate exploitation attempts. Network segmentation and privilege escalation controls should be reinforced to minimize the potential impact of any successful exploitation attempts.