CVE-2025-14562 in GitLab
Summary
by MITRE • 07/29/2026
GitLab has remediated an issue in GitLab CE/EE affecting all versions from 10.6 before 19.0.5, 19.1 before 19.1.3, and 19.2 before 19.2.1 that under certain conditions could have allowed an authenticated user with developer-role permissions to commit changes to a project after being removed as a member, due to improper authorization checks on merge request collaboration settings.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/29/2026
This vulnerability represents a critical authorization bypass flaw in GitLab's access control mechanisms that persisted across multiple version ranges of the GitLab Community and Enterprise Editions. The issue stems from inadequate validation of user permissions within the merge request collaboration workflow, specifically when users with developer roles attempt to interact with project resources after their membership has been revoked. The flaw allows malicious or compromised developers to continue committing changes to projects they no longer have legitimate access to, creating a persistent security risk that undermines the fundamental principle of least privilege in software development environments.
The technical root cause involves improper authorization checks within GitLab's merge request collaboration settings, where the system fails to properly validate whether a user retains valid membership status before permitting commit operations. This vulnerability is classified under CWE-285: Improper Authorization, which specifically addresses situations where systems fail to correctly enforce access control policies for authenticated users. The flaw manifests when an authenticated user with developer permissions attempts to make changes to project resources after their membership has been removed, exploiting a gap in the permission validation logic that should have prevented such actions.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access, as it enables persistent backdoor capabilities within development environments where GitLab serves as the primary code repository and collaboration platform. Attackers with developer roles who gain elevated privileges through social engineering or compromised accounts can maintain continued access to sensitive project data even after being formally removed from teams, potentially leading to data exfiltration, code injection, or sabotage of critical software components. This represents a significant risk to software supply chain security where development environments often contain production-sensitive code and configuration data.
Organizations should immediately implement the remediation patches provided by GitLab for versions 19.0.5, 19.1.3, and 19.2.1 respectively, while also conducting comprehensive audits of user access permissions and membership status to identify any potential exploitation that may have occurred. System administrators should enable enhanced monitoring of merge request activities and commit operations, particularly for users who have recently been removed from projects. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078.004: Valid Accounts - Cloud Accounts, where attackers leverage legitimate user credentials to maintain access through improperly enforced authorization controls within cloud-based development platforms.
Security teams should also consider implementing additional safeguards such as automated membership expiration checks, enhanced audit logging for collaboration settings modifications, and regular security assessments of authorization mechanisms within GitLab installations. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining strict separation between different permission levels and ensuring that access control policies are consistently enforced across all system components, particularly those related to collaborative development workflows where multiple users interact with shared code repositories.
Organizations operating in regulated environments or handling sensitive data should conduct thorough risk assessments to determine if any unauthorized changes may have been committed through this vulnerability before applying the patches. The remediation process should include verification that no lingering access permissions exist for previously removed users and that all existing merge request collaboration settings properly enforce current membership status. This vulnerability highlights the critical need for continuous security testing of access control mechanisms, particularly in complex collaboration platforms where user roles and permissions frequently change during software development lifecycle operations.