CVE-2019-5465 in Community Edition
Summary
by MITRE
An information disclosure issue was discovered in GitLab CE/EE 8.14 and later, by using the move issue feature which could result in disclosure of the newly created issue ID.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/27/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-5465 represents an information disclosure weakness in GitLab Community Edition and Enterprise Edition versions 8.14 and later. This flaw manifests through the move issue functionality within the GitLab platform, where unauthorized disclosure of newly created issue identifiers occurs during the issue relocation process. The vulnerability stems from insufficient access controls and improper validation of user permissions when executing issue movement operations, creating a scenario where sensitive information about issue tracking system internals becomes accessible to unauthorized parties.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the move issue feature failing to properly validate whether the authenticated user possesses sufficient privileges to access the newly generated issue ID. When users perform issue relocation operations, the system inadvertently exposes the numerical identifier of the newly created issue, allowing attackers to obtain information about the internal issue tracking structure. This disclosure occurs because the system does not adequately verify that the requesting user has appropriate authorization levels to view the metadata associated with the moved issue. The flaw specifically affects the response handling during issue movement operations, where the system returns additional information including the new issue ID without proper access control checks.
Operationally, this vulnerability creates significant risks for organizations using GitLab for project management and issue tracking. Attackers who can exploit this information disclosure could potentially enumerate issue IDs, map project structures, and gain insights into development workflows and project timelines. The exposure of newly created issue identifiers allows for more sophisticated attacks including potential exploitation of other vulnerabilities that might be dependent on specific issue metadata or sequential numbering patterns. This information can be leveraged for social engineering attacks, targeted phishing campaigns, or as part of broader reconnaissance efforts to understand the target organization's development processes and internal structures.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-200, which addresses information exposure, and represents a specific case of improper information access control within collaborative development platforms. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this issue enables the T1082 technique of system information discovery, as attackers can gather information about the underlying issue tracking infrastructure. Organizations should consider implementing the mitigations recommended by GitLab, which include upgrading to patched versions of the software, implementing proper access controls, and monitoring for unauthorized issue movement activities. Additionally, security teams should conduct regular audits of issue tracking system configurations to ensure that information disclosure vulnerabilities are properly addressed through comprehensive access control policies and privilege management procedures.
The remediation process involves applying the official security patches provided by GitLab for affected versions, which typically include enhanced access control validation and proper sanitization of issue ID disclosures during move operations. Organizations should also implement network-level monitoring to detect unusual patterns of issue ID enumeration and establish incident response procedures specifically addressing information disclosure vulnerabilities in collaborative development platforms. Regular security assessments of GitLab installations should include verification of access control configurations and testing of issue tracking functionality to prevent similar vulnerabilities from being introduced through configuration errors or inadequate security hardening practices.