CVE-2026-11827 in GitLab
Summary
by MITRE • 07/09/2026
GitLab has remediated an issue in GitLab EE affecting all versions from 9.5 before 18.11.7, 19.0 before 19.0.4, and 19.1 before 19.1.2 that under certain conditions could have allowed an authenticated user with maintainer-role permissions to obtain another user's stored credentials due to improper authorization controls.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/09/2026
This vulnerability represents a critical authorization flaw in GitLab Enterprise Edition that undermines the fundamental security boundaries between users with different permission levels. The issue affects versions prior to specific patch releases, creating a persistent risk for organizations relying on GitLab's access control mechanisms. The flaw specifically targets users with maintainer roles, who should normally be restricted from accessing other users' credentials despite their elevated privileges within project contexts.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate authorization checks within GitLab's credential storage and retrieval systems. When authenticated users with maintainer permissions attempt to access certain credential-related endpoints, the system fails to properly validate whether the requesting user has legitimate authorization to access the target user's stored credentials. This represents a direct violation of the principle of least privilege and creates an attack vector where authorized users can escalate their access beyond intended boundaries.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple credential theft, as it fundamentally compromises the integrity of GitLab's permission model. Maintainer role users typically have significant project management capabilities including code review, merge request management, and project configuration changes, but should not have access to other users' authentication credentials. This flaw creates potential for data exfiltration, account takeover scenarios, and unauthorized access to sensitive project resources that may contain confidential information or proprietary code.
From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-285, which addresses improper authorization controls in software systems. The issue also maps to ATT&CK technique T1566, specifically focusing on credential access through legitimate credentials and proper access control mechanisms. Organizations using affected GitLab versions face significant risk of insider threats or compromised accounts where maintainers could potentially access sensitive information belonging to other team members, including CI/CD secrets, API tokens, and personal authentication data.
The remediation process requires organizations to immediately upgrade to the patched versions mentioned in the advisory, specifically 18.11.7, 19.0.4, and 19.1.2 respectively. Security administrators should conduct comprehensive audits of user permissions and credential access patterns following the upgrade to ensure no unauthorized access occurred during the vulnerable period. Additionally, organizations should implement enhanced monitoring for suspicious credential access patterns and consider implementing additional security controls such as privilege escalation approval workflows to prevent similar issues in other systems.
This vulnerability highlights the critical importance of proper authorization implementation in security-sensitive applications and demonstrates how even users with seemingly appropriate permissions can create security risks when access control boundaries are improperly enforced. The patch addresses the core authorization flaw by implementing stricter validation checks that ensure maintainers cannot access credentials belonging to other users, thereby restoring the expected security model within GitLab's permission architecture and protecting against unauthorized credential exposure across project environments.