CVE-2023-7028 in Community Edition
Summary
by MITRE • 01/12/2024
An issue has been discovered in GitLab CE/EE affecting all versions from 16.1 prior to 16.1.6, 16.2 prior to 16.2.9, 16.3 prior to 16.3.7, 16.4 prior to 16.4.5, 16.5 prior to 16.5.6, 16.6 prior to 16.6.4, and 16.7 prior to 16.7.2 in which user account password reset emails could be delivered to an unverified email address.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/09/2024
This vulnerability in GitLab CE/EE represents a critical security flaw that undermines the integrity of the user authentication system through improper email verification handling during password reset operations. The issue stems from a failure in the email validation mechanism that allows password reset requests to be sent to email addresses that have not been verified by the user, creating a potential attack vector for unauthorized access attempts. The vulnerability affects a broad range of GitLab versions including 16.1 through 16.7, with specific patch versions required to address the flaw. This weakness directly violates the principle of least privilege and authentication integrity that forms the foundation of secure identity management systems.
The technical implementation flaw occurs within the password reset workflow where the system fails to validate whether the email address provided for reset requests has been properly verified through the standard user registration process. This oversight creates a scenario where an attacker could potentially intercept password reset emails sent to compromised or malicious email addresses, effectively bypassing the intended security controls designed to ensure only legitimate users can access their accounts. The vulnerability operates at the application logic level and demonstrates a failure in input validation and authentication flow control, which aligns with CWE-287 - Improper Authentication and CWE-345 - Insufficient Verification of Data Authenticity. From an attack perspective, this flaw maps to ATT&CK technique T1213.002 - Accessing/Using Data from Cloud Storage, as it enables unauthorized access to user accounts through compromised authentication mechanisms.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple account compromise, as it creates opportunities for credential stuffing attacks, social engineering campaigns, and broader account takeover operations. Security administrators face increased risk of unauthorized access to repositories, code, and sensitive project information stored within GitLab instances. The vulnerability also affects the trust model of the platform, as it undermines user confidence in the system's ability to protect their credentials. Organizations using GitLab in production environments experience elevated risk of data breaches, unauthorized code modifications, and potential lateral movement within their infrastructure. The remediation process requires immediate patching across all affected versions, with security teams needing to monitor for potential exploitation attempts and consider account recovery measures for potentially compromised users.
Mitigation strategies should include immediate deployment of the patched versions across all GitLab installations, implementation of additional email verification controls for password reset operations, and enhanced monitoring for suspicious authentication patterns. Security teams should conduct comprehensive audits of user account email addresses and consider implementing multi-factor authentication requirements for high-privilege accounts. The vulnerability highlights the importance of maintaining robust authentication controls and demonstrates the critical need for proper input validation and verification processes in identity management systems. Organizations should also review their incident response procedures to ensure readiness for potential exploitation attempts and consider implementing additional security controls such as rate limiting for password reset requests and enhanced email domain validation to prevent abuse of the authentication system.