CVE-2022-0489 in Community Edition
Summary
by MITRE • 04/02/2022
An issue has been discovered in GitLab CE/EE affecting all versions starting with 8.15 . It was possible to trigger a DOS by using the math feature with a specific formula in issue comments.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/05/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-0489 represents a denial of service weakness within GitLab Community and Enterprise editions that has persisted across multiple versions since 8.15. This issue specifically exploits the mathematical rendering functionality that allows users to include complex mathematical expressions within issue comments and other textual content areas. The flaw resides in how GitLab processes and renders mathematical formulas, creating an opportunity for malicious actors to disrupt system operations through carefully crafted input.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and sanitization within GitLab's mathematical expression parser. When users submit mathematical formulas through the comment system, the application attempts to render these expressions using mathematical rendering engines that can be computationally intensive. Attackers can exploit this by crafting specific mathematical expressions that cause the rendering process to consume excessive system resources or enter infinite loops. This type of vulnerability aligns with CWE-400, which addresses unchecked resource consumption, and represents a classic example of a resource exhaustion attack vector.
The operational impact of CVE-2022-0489 extends beyond simple service disruption as it can affect entire GitLab instances and potentially impact multiple projects simultaneously. When exploited, the denial of service condition can cause the GitLab application to become unresponsive, leading to degraded performance or complete system outage. This vulnerability particularly affects collaborative environments where multiple users contribute to issue tracking and project management, as a single malicious comment can impact the entire platform. The attack surface is broad since mathematical expressions can be included in various content types including issue descriptions, comments, wiki pages, and merge request discussions.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing comprehensive input validation and resource limiting measures. Organizations should consider implementing rate limiting for mathematical expression processing, setting maximum computational time limits for rendering operations, and employing sandboxed environments for mathematical expression evaluation. The recommended approach includes upgrading to patched versions of GitLab where available, as well as implementing additional monitoring and alerting mechanisms to detect unusual resource consumption patterns. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to T1499.004 which covers network denial of service attacks, and represents a significant concern for organizations relying on GitLab for their software development workflows and version control operations.