CVE-2026-78335 in GitLab
Summary
by MITRE • 10/13/2026
GitLab has remediated an issue in GitLab CE/EE affecting all versions from 19.1 before 19.2.8, 19.3 before 19.3.5, and 19.4 before 19.4.2 that, under certain conditions, could have allowed an authenticated user holding a project-scoped fine-grained Personal Access Token to modify integrations belonging to a group outside the token's scope, due to incorrect authorization checks.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/13/2026
The vulnerability identified in GitLab represents a critical failure in access control mechanisms within the application’s integration management subsystem. This flaw affects multiple versions of both GitLab Community Edition and Enterprise Edition, specifically impacting releases prior to 19.2.8 for version 19.1, prior to 19.3.5 for version 19.3, and prior to 19.4.2 for version 19.4. The core issue stems from an incorrect authorization check that fails to properly validate the scope of a user’s permissions when interacting with group-level integrations. In a secure system architecture, access control policies must strictly enforce boundaries between different organizational units, ensuring that users can only modify resources within their designated permission domains. However, in this instance, the logic governing these checks was insufficiently rigorous, allowing for an escalation of privileges beyond what was intended by the security model.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant because it allows an authenticated user to perform unauthorized modifications on group integrations that are outside the scope of their assigned permissions. Specifically, if a user possesses a project-scoped fine-grained Personal Access Token, they should theoretically only have access to resources associated with specific projects under that token’s authorization. Instead, due to the flawed logic, such a user can manipulate integration settings belonging to an entire group. This bypasses the principle of least privilege and undermines the integrity of multi-tenant or hierarchical organizational structures where strict separation of duties is required for security compliance. An attacker leveraging this flaw could potentially inject malicious webhooks, alter notification channels, or disrupt automated workflows associated with other groups within the same GitLab instance.
From a technical classification perspective, this vulnerability aligns closely with CWE-269, which denotes Improper Privilege Management, and more specifically CWE-862, Missing Authorization Check. The failure lies in the application’s inability to correctly associate the token’s scope with the target resource hierarchy during the request processing phase. This type of flaw is often exploited through automated tools that iterate over group IDs or integration endpoints after obtaining a valid but narrowly scoped authentication credential. In terms of adversarial tactics, this behavior corresponds to techniques found in the MITRE ATT&CK framework related to Privilege Escalation and Defense Evasion, as it allows an actor to expand their operational reach without detection by standard permission auditing logs that might not account for such logical bypasses.
To mitigate this risk, organizations running affected versions of GitLab must immediately apply the provided patches corresponding to their specific release track. For users on version 19.1, upgrading to at least 19.2.8 is required; those on 19.3 should upgrade to 19.3.5 or later; and users on 19.4 must move to 19.4.2 or newer versions where the authorization logic has been corrected. Beyond immediate patching, it is advisable for administrators to review audit logs for any unusual activity involving integration modifications by accounts holding project-scoped tokens. Implementing stricter token policies that limit the granularity of access further can also reduce the blast radius if similar vulnerabilities are discovered in the future. Regular security assessments and penetration testing focused on authorization boundaries will help ensure that such logical flaws do not persist in production environments.