CVE-2022-1936 in Enterprise Edition
Summary
by MITRE • 06/06/2022
Incorrect authorization in GitLab EE affecting all versions from 12.0 before 14.9.5, all versions starting from 14.10 before 14.10.4, all versions starting from 15.0 before 15.0.1 allowed an attacker already in possession of a valid Project Deploy Token to misuse it from any location even when IP address restrictions were configured
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/08/2022
This vulnerability represents a critical authorization flaw in GitLab Enterprise Edition that fundamentally undermines the security controls designed to protect project resources. The issue affects a broad range of GitLab versions including those from 12.0 through 14.9.4, 14.10.0 through 14.10.3, and 15.0.0 through 15.0.0, creating a significant attack surface across multiple release lines. The flaw specifically targets the validation mechanisms that should prevent unauthorized access to project resources, allowing malicious actors to bypass IP address restrictions that were configured to limit access to specific network locations. This represents a direct violation of the principle of least privilege and demonstrates a fundamental breakdown in the authorization system's ability to enforce access controls.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from improper validation of the authentication context when using Project Deploy Tokens, which are designed to provide restricted access to GitLab projects. When an attacker possesses a valid Project Deploy Token, they can exploit this flaw to access restricted project resources from any geographical location, completely ignoring the IP address restrictions that were presumably configured to enhance security. This misconfiguration allows for what is known as privilege escalation through unauthorized access, where legitimate tokens are being misused beyond their intended scope. The vulnerability essentially removes the network-based access controls that were meant to be enforced by IP restrictions, creating a scenario where tokens become effectively unrestricted regardless of their intended deployment context.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and multifaceted, affecting organizations that rely on GitLab for version control and collaboration. Attackers can leverage this flaw to access sensitive code repositories, configuration files, and other project resources without being constrained by network boundaries that were designed to prevent unauthorized access. This compromise directly affects the confidentiality and integrity of project data, potentially exposing intellectual property, sensitive configurations, and other critical information. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple unauthorized access as it enables attackers to maintain persistent access to project resources, making it particularly dangerous for organizations that depend on GitLab for continuous integration and deployment workflows. Organizations using IP restrictions as part of their security posture are left with a false sense of security, as this vulnerability effectively neutralizes those controls.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including updating to the patched versions of GitLab that address this authorization flaw. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 which describes improper access control, and can be mapped to ATT&CK technique T1078.004 which covers valid accounts with restricted access. Security teams should conduct immediate audits of their GitLab deployments to identify any Project Deploy Tokens that may have been compromised, and consider revoking and regenerating tokens as a precautionary measure. Network security controls should be reviewed to ensure that IP restrictions are not being bypassed, and organizations should consider implementing additional monitoring for unusual access patterns that might indicate exploitation of this vulnerability. The remediation process should include verification that the patch has been properly applied and that the authorization controls are functioning as intended, with particular attention to ensuring that IP restrictions are properly enforced for all authenticated access attempts.