CVE-2023-6502 in Community Edition
Summary
by MITRE • 05/23/2024
A Denial of Service (DoS) condition has been discovered in GitLab CE/EE affecting all versions before 16.10.6, version 16.11 before 16.11.3, and 17.0 before 17.0.1. It is possible for an attacker to cause a denial of service using a crafted wiki page.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/16/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-6502 represents a critical denial of service weakness in GitLab community and enterprise editions that impacts a wide range of affected versions. This security flaw specifically targets the wiki functionality within GitLab, creating a condition where malicious actors can disrupt normal service operations through carefully constructed wiki page content. The vulnerability affects all versions prior to 16.10.6, versions 16.11.x before 16.11.3, and 17.0.x before 17.0.1, indicating a prolonged period of exposure that could have allowed attackers to exploit this weakness without detection.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and sanitization within GitLab's wiki processing mechanisms. When a crafted wiki page is created or modified, the system fails to properly handle maliciously constructed content that triggers resource exhaustion or processing errors. This flaw operates at the application layer and can be exploited through the standard wiki creation or editing interfaces available to authenticated users. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-400 which categorizes improper handling of input data leading to resource exhaustion, and potentially CWE-665 which addresses improper initialization of resources. Attackers can leverage this weakness by constructing specific wiki content that causes the GitLab instance to consume excessive computational resources or enter an unstable state.
The operational impact of CVE-2023-6502 extends beyond simple service disruption to potentially compromise the entire GitLab instance availability. When exploited, this vulnerability can cause the GitLab server to become unresponsive, leading to complete denial of access for legitimate users attempting to view or modify wiki content. The attack vector requires only authenticated access to the GitLab system, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited by insiders or compromised user accounts. This DoS condition affects not just wiki functionality but can potentially cascade into broader system instability, impacting other GitLab services such as project management, code repositories, and user authentication systems. Organizations relying on GitLab for their development workflows face significant operational risks including development delays, collaboration disruptions, and potential data access issues.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2023-6502 primarily focus on immediate version upgrades to patched releases including GitLab 16.10.6, 16.11.3, and 17.0.1. System administrators should prioritize applying these updates across all GitLab installations to eliminate the vulnerability exposure. Additionally, implementing access controls and monitoring for unusual wiki creation patterns can help detect potential exploitation attempts. Organizations should consider applying the principle of least privilege to wiki access permissions and establish automated scanning for suspicious content. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving resource exhaustion and service disruption, specifically T1499.004 for network denial of service and potentially T1566.002 for social engineering through crafted content. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be implemented to identify similar weaknesses in other GitLab components, as the exploitation of one vulnerability often indicates potential for related issues within the same application stack.