CVE-2018-20144 in Community Edition
Summary
by MITRE
GitLab Community and Enterprise Edition 11.x before 11.3.13, 11.4.x before 11.4.11, and 11.5.x before 11.5.4 has Incorrect Access Control.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/17/2023
This vulnerability affects GitLab Community and Enterprise Edition versions prior to specific patch releases, representing a critical access control flaw that could enable unauthorized users to gain elevated privileges within the system. The issue stems from inadequate authorization checks that allow malicious actors to exploit weaknesses in the permission model, potentially leading to complete system compromise. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-285 category of Improper Authorization, which specifically addresses situations where systems fail to properly verify that users have appropriate access rights to perform requested operations.
The technical implementation of this access control flaw allows authenticated users to manipulate system permissions and potentially escalate their privileges without proper authorization. Attackers can exploit this weakness to access restricted resources, modify project settings, or even gain administrative access to the GitLab instance. The vulnerability exists in the way the application validates user permissions during various operations, particularly those related to project management and user role assignments. This flaw particularly impacts organizations relying on GitLab for version control and collaboration, as it undermines the fundamental security model that protects sensitive code repositories and system configurations.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access, as it can enable attackers to establish persistent backdoors within the GitLab environment. Organizations may experience data breaches, code tampering, or complete system takeover if this vulnerability is exploited. The affected versions span multiple minor releases, indicating that the flaw was present across a significant portion of the GitLab 11.x series, making it a widespread concern for organizations that had not yet applied the relevant security patches. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078.004 for Valid Accounts and T1484.001 for Accounts in the Cloud, as it enables attackers to leverage legitimate user credentials to escalate privileges and maintain access within cloud-based GitLab deployments.
Security teams should prioritize immediate patching of all affected GitLab instances to remediate this access control weakness. The recommended mitigation involves upgrading to the patched versions 11.3.13, 11.4.11, or 11.5.4, depending on the current installation. Organizations should also implement additional monitoring to detect unusual permission changes or access patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. Network segmentation and privileged access controls should be reviewed to minimize the potential impact should the vulnerability be exploited. Regular security assessments of GitLab installations and continuous monitoring for unauthorized access attempts are essential practices that should be implemented alongside the patching process. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches in collaborative development platforms where unauthorized access could lead to significant intellectual property theft or system compromise.