CVE-2019-9175 in Community
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in GitLab Community and Enterprise Edition before 11.6.10, 11.7.x before 11.7.6, and 11.8.x before 11.8.1. It allows Information Exposure (issue 3 of 5).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/29/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-9175 represents a critical information exposure flaw affecting GitLab Community and Enterprise Edition installations across multiple version branches. This security weakness manifests in the form of unauthorized data disclosure that could potentially compromise sensitive information within the GitLab environment. The issue specifically impacts versions prior to 11.6.10, 11.7.6, and 11.8.1 respectively, indicating a widespread vulnerability that affected a significant portion of the GitLab user base during that period. The vulnerability classification places it within the broader category of information exposure attacks that can lead to unauthorized access to confidential data and system information.
Technical analysis reveals that this information exposure vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and output sanitization mechanisms within GitLab's codebase. The flaw allows attackers to obtain sensitive information through crafted requests that bypass normal access controls and authentication mechanisms. This particular vulnerability is categorized under CWE-200, which specifically addresses "Information Exposure" and represents a fundamental weakness in how the system handles sensitive data processing and disclosure. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and can be exploited through various attack vectors that manipulate the application's response handling mechanisms.
The operational impact of CVE-2019-9175 extends beyond simple data leakage to potentially compromise the integrity and confidentiality of source code repositories, user credentials, and system configuration details. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to gain unauthorized access to private repositories, sensitive project information, and potentially escalate their privileges within the GitLab environment. The exposure could include sensitive metadata, authentication tokens, or other confidential information that would normally be protected by the application's security controls. This vulnerability particularly affects organizations that rely heavily on GitLab for version control and collaboration, as the information disclosure could lead to intellectual property theft, compliance violations, or further exploitation opportunities.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should prioritize immediate remediation through the application of the vendor-provided security patches. The recommended mitigation strategy involves upgrading to GitLab versions 11.6.10, 11.7.6, or 11.8.1, depending on the current installation branch. Security administrators should also implement network-level monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts and consider additional access controls such as IP whitelisting and enhanced authentication mechanisms. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability aligns with techniques involving information gathering and credential access, potentially enabling adversaries to move laterally within the environment once sensitive information is obtained. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper input validation and output sanitization in preventing information disclosure attacks that can serve as initial access vectors for more sophisticated attacks.