CVE-2022-4138 in Community Edition
Summary
by MITRE • 02/14/2023
A Cross Site Request Forgery issue has been discovered in GitLab CE/EE affecting all versions before 15.6.7, all versions starting from 15.7 before 15.7.6, and all versions starting from 15.8 before 15.8.1. An attacker could take over a project if an Owner or Maintainer uploads a file to a malicious project.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/12/2023
This cross site request forgery vulnerability in GitLab CE/EE represents a significant security risk that allows attackers to hijack project ownership through malicious file uploads. The flaw exists in the authentication and authorization mechanisms that govern file upload operations within project contexts, specifically targeting users with Owner or Maintainer privileges. The vulnerability affects a broad range of versions including all releases before 15.6.7, versions from 15.7.0 through 15.7.5, and versions from 15.8.0 through 15.8.0, indicating a widespread issue that has persisted across multiple release branches. The attack vector leverages the fact that legitimate users with elevated privileges can be tricked into uploading files to malicious projects without proper CSRF protection mechanisms.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of request origins and lack of proper anti-CSRF token verification during file upload operations. When users with Owner or Maintainer roles perform file uploads, the system fails to adequately verify that the request originates from the legitimate user interface rather than an attacker-controlled domain. This weakness enables attackers to craft malicious requests that appear to come from authenticated users, potentially allowing them to upload files that could execute malicious code or manipulate project settings. The vulnerability operates under CWE-352 which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery flaws in web applications, where the system fails to validate that requests originate from legitimate sources.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple file upload manipulation, as it fundamentally compromises project integrity and user permissions. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability can effectively take control of projects that they would normally not have access to, potentially leading to unauthorized code execution, data exfiltration, or complete project compromise. The attack requires minimal privileges from the victim, as it only necessitates that a user with Owner or Maintainer access performs a file upload operation while visiting a malicious website. This makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous in environments where multiple users with elevated privileges regularly interact with project repositories. The security implications align with ATT&CK technique T1078.004 which covers valid accounts used for unauthorized access, as the attack exploits legitimate user credentials to perform unauthorized actions.
Organizations using affected GitLab versions should implement immediate mitigations including applying the patched versions 15.6.7, 15.7.6, and 15.8.1 respectively, as these releases contain the necessary CSRF protection mechanisms. Additionally, administrators should review user permissions and consider implementing additional security controls such as two-factor authentication for privileged accounts, regular security audits of project configurations, and monitoring for unusual file upload activities. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper CSRF protection in web applications and highlights how seemingly minor authentication gaps can lead to significant operational security breaches. Security teams should also consider implementing network-level protections and user behavior analytics to detect potential exploitation attempts before they succeed.