CVE-2022-3758 in GitLab
Summary
by MITRE • 03/10/2023
An issue has been discovered in GitLab affecting all versions starting from 15.5 before 15.7.8, all versions starting from 15.8 before 15.8.4, all versions starting from 15.9 before 15.9.2. Due to improper permissions checks an unauthorised user was able to read, add or edit a users private snippet.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/10/2023
This vulnerability in GitLab represents a critical access control flaw that undermines the fundamental security principles of data isolation and privilege management. The issue affects multiple version streams including 15.5 through 15.7.7, 15.8 through 15.8.3, and 15.9 through 15.9.1, indicating a widespread problem that persisted across several major releases. The vulnerability stems from inadequate permission validation mechanisms that fail to properly verify user authorization before allowing access to private snippet resources, creating a direct path for unauthorized data exposure.
The technical flaw manifests as a failure in the authorization subsystem where the system does not adequately validate whether a requesting user possesses the necessary privileges to access specific private snippets. This weakness allows malicious actors or compromised accounts to bypass normal access controls and perform read, create, or modify operations on private snippets belonging to other users. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and directly impacts the principle of least privilege, where users should only have access to resources they are explicitly authorized to use. This type of flaw maps directly to CWE-285: Improper Authorization, which specifically addresses situations where the system fails to properly enforce access controls.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant as it exposes private code snippets, configuration files, and potentially sensitive information that users expect to remain confidential. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to gain access to proprietary code, system configurations, or other sensitive materials that might contain intellectual property, credentials, or other confidential data. The ability to edit snippets further amplifies the damage potential, allowing attackers to inject malicious content or modify existing code, potentially leading to supply chain attacks or persistent backdoors. This vulnerability directly aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078.004: Valid Accounts, where adversaries use compromised accounts to access restricted resources, and T1566.002: Phishing for Information, as the vulnerability enables unauthorized access to sensitive data that might be discovered through other reconnaissance activities.
Organizations using affected GitLab versions face immediate security risks including potential data breaches, intellectual property theft, and compliance violations. The vulnerability creates a persistent threat vector that remains active until patched, potentially allowing attackers to maintain access and continue harvesting sensitive information over extended periods. Mitigation strategies should include immediate deployment of the patched versions 15.7.8, 15.8.4, and 15.9.2, along with comprehensive audit of access logs to identify potential exploitation attempts. Additional defensive measures should include implementing network segmentation, monitoring for unauthorized access attempts, and conducting thorough security assessments of the GitLab instance to identify any potential compromise or unauthorized modifications to private snippets.