CVE-2022-3513 in GitLab
Summary
by MITRE • 04/05/2023
An issue has been discovered in GitLab affecting all versions starting from 12.8 before 15.8.5, all versions starting from 15.9 before 15.9.4, all versions starting from 15.10 before 15.10.1. A specially crafted payload could lead to a reflected XSS on the client side which allows attackers to perform arbitrary actions on behalf of victims on self-hosted instances running without strict CSP.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/11/2025
This vulnerability resides in GitLab's web application interface where a reflected cross-site scripting flaw exists in the software's handling of user input parameters. The issue affects versions from 12.8 through 15.8.4, 15.9 through 15.9.3, and 15.10 through 15.10.0, representing a significant attack surface across multiple release branches. The vulnerability manifests when the application fails to properly sanitize and escape user-provided input before rendering it in web responses, creating an opportunity for malicious actors to inject client-side scripts. This flaw specifically impacts self-hosted GitLab instances that operate without strict Content Security Policy enforcement, making the attack vector more accessible to threat actors. The reflected nature of the vulnerability means that attackers must craft malicious payloads that are embedded within URLs or other request parameters, which are then reflected back to victims through the application's response, executing malicious code in the victim's browser context. The technical implementation involves improper input validation and output encoding mechanisms within GitLab's web framework, where user-supplied data flows directly into HTML rendering without adequate sanitization. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which classifies cross-site scripting flaws as weaknesses in input validation and output encoding, specifically targeting the failure to properly escape dynamic content. The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it allows attackers to perform arbitrary actions on behalf of authenticated users, potentially enabling session hijacking, data exfiltration, or privilege escalation within the GitLab environment. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to execute malicious scripts that can steal session cookies, redirect users to phishing sites, or manipulate GitLab's interface to perform unauthorized operations. The risk is amplified in self-hosted environments where administrators may not implement strict CSP policies, providing attackers with fewer barriers to successful exploitation. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under initial access and execution techniques, where attackers can use reflected XSS as a vector to establish persistent access or escalate privileges within the GitLab instance. Organizations running affected versions should immediately apply the patched releases to mitigate this risk. The recommended mitigation strategy includes not only upgrading to patched versions but also implementing strict Content Security Policy headers to prevent script execution in the browser context, even if other vulnerabilities exist. Additionally, administrators should review their network configurations to ensure that self-hosted instances are properly secured and that access controls are appropriately enforced to limit exposure to potential attackers. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of input validation and output encoding in web applications, particularly in environments where users can interact with system interfaces and where session management is crucial for maintaining application security.