CVE-2020-7967 in Enterprise Edition
Summary
by MITRE
GitLab EE 8.0 through 12.7.2 has Insecure Permissions (issue 1 of 2).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/06/2020
GitLab Enterprise Edition versions 8.0 through 12.7.2 contain a critical insecure permissions vulnerability that allows unauthorized users to access protected project resources through improper access control mechanisms. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-284 access control weakness category, specifically representing an insufficient access control implementation that permits unauthorized data access. The flaw exists in the permission validation logic that fails to properly verify user roles and access levels when processing project-related requests. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability to gain read access to private projects, sensitive code repositories, and confidential data that should only be accessible to authorized team members. The vulnerability manifests when the system does not adequately validate whether a user possesses the necessary permissions to access specific project resources, allowing malicious actors to bypass normal access controls through crafted requests.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and insufficient authorization checks within GitLab's access control framework. When users attempt to access project resources, the system fails to properly authenticate and authorize their requests against the established permission model. This creates a path for privilege escalation where unauthenticated or low-privilege users can manipulate API calls or web requests to access restricted content. The flaw particularly affects project-level permissions, allowing attackers to view confidential project information, code files, and associated metadata that should remain protected. This vulnerability directly impacts the integrity and confidentiality of GitLab deployments, as it undermines the fundamental security principles of least privilege and access control enforcement.
The operational impact of CVE-2020-7967 extends beyond simple data exposure, potentially enabling more sophisticated attacks within the GitLab environment. Organizations using affected GitLab versions face significant risks including intellectual property theft, compliance violations, and potential lateral movement within their infrastructure. The vulnerability can be exploited through various attack vectors including API manipulation, web interface exploitation, and automated scanning tools that can identify and exploit the permission flaws. Security teams may experience increased incident response burden as this vulnerability can remain undetected for extended periods, allowing attackers to maintain persistent access to sensitive repositories. The impact is particularly severe for organizations that rely heavily on GitLab for source code management and collaborative development workflows where unauthorized access to code repositories can lead to serious business and legal consequences.
Organizations should immediately upgrade to GitLab versions 12.8.0 or later where this vulnerability has been addressed through enhanced access control mechanisms and proper permission validation. The recommended mitigation strategy includes implementing comprehensive access control reviews, enabling additional security monitoring for unauthorized access attempts, and conducting thorough security assessments of existing GitLab deployments. System administrators should also consider implementing network-level restrictions, multi-factor authentication for administrative access, and regular permission audits to detect and remediate any unauthorized access patterns. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078 legitimate credentials for privilege escalation and T1566 credential harvesting through insecure access controls. Organizations must also ensure proper patch management processes are in place to maintain up-to-date security controls and prevent similar vulnerabilities from being exploited in their development environments.