CVE-2018-18641 in Community Edition
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in GitLab Community and Enterprise Edition before 11.2.7, 11.3.x before 11.3.8, and 11.4.x before 11.4.3. It has Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/13/2023
This vulnerability resides in GitLab's authentication and session management systems, where sensitive information is stored in cleartext format rather than being properly encrypted or hashed. The flaw affects multiple versions of GitLab Community and Enterprise Edition, specifically targeting releases before 11.2.7, 11.3.8, and 11.4.3, creating a persistent security risk for organizations relying on these platforms. The vulnerability classification aligns with CWE-312, which addresses cleartext storage of sensitive information, and represents a critical weakness in data protection practices that directly impacts user authentication mechanisms.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability manifests when GitLab stores authentication tokens, session identifiers, or other sensitive credentials in plain text within its database or configuration files. This occurs during the user authentication process where the system fails to apply proper encryption or hashing mechanisms to protect sensitive data at rest. Attackers who gain access to the system's database or file system can directly read these cleartext credentials without requiring additional cryptographic attacks or brute force efforts. The flaw essentially removes the cryptographic protection that should safeguard sensitive information during storage, making it immediately accessible to any entity with appropriate access privileges.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple credential theft, as it can enable attackers to maintain persistent access to GitLab instances and potentially escalate privileges within the system. When attackers compromise a GitLab server, they can extract authentication tokens and session data that allow them to impersonate legitimate users, access private repositories, modify code, and potentially move laterally within the organization's infrastructure. This vulnerability directly maps to several ATT&CK techniques including credential access through credential dumping and persistence via legitimate credentials. The risk is particularly severe for organizations that store sensitive source code, configuration files, or proprietary information within GitLab repositories, as unauthorized access can lead to intellectual property theft, compliance violations, and operational disruption.
Organizations should immediately update their GitLab installations to versions 11.2.7, 11.3.8, or 11.4.3, whichever applies to their current release cycle, to remediate this vulnerability. Additionally, security teams should implement comprehensive monitoring for unauthorized access attempts and credential exposure within their GitLab environments. The remediation process should include reviewing and strengthening access controls, implementing proper encryption for sensitive data at rest, and conducting regular security audits of authentication mechanisms. Organizations should also consider implementing multi-factor authentication and privilege-based access controls to reduce the impact of any potential credential compromise, as this vulnerability essentially negates the security value of proper authentication mechanisms.