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GitLabApplication

CVE-2018-17536

MEDIUM · 5.4 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-04-15
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 11.1.7 / 11.2.4 or later.
See remediation →
58/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
An issue was discovered in GitLab Community and Enterprise Edition before 11.1.7, 11.2.x before 11.2.4, and 11.3.x before 11.3.1. There is stored XSS on the merge request page via project import.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

A stored cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability exists in GitLab Community and Enterprise Edition. The vulnerability allows injection of malicious scripts through the project import feature, which are then rendered on the merge request page. An attacker could exploit this to execute arbitrary JavaScript in the browsers of users viewing affected merge requests.

MitigationUpgrade GitLab to version 11.1.7, 11.2.4, 11.3.1, or later. Alternatively, restrict or disable the project import feature for untrusted users until patching can be performed.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
GitLabApplication
Affected:< 11.1.7>= 11.2.0, < 11.2.4= 11.3.0

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
Required
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Determine your GitLab version
    Access the GitLab admin panel or run `gitlab-rake gitlab:env:info` to retrieve the installed version number
    Affected if The installed version is < 11.1.7, or >= 11.2.0 and < 11.2.4, or exactly 11.3.0
  2. Verify the project import feature is accessible
    Check if the project import/export feature is enabled in the GitLab administration settings under "Visibility and access controls"
    Affected if The project import feature is enabled for users (especially untrusted or external users)
  3. Review recent project imports
    Audit the project import history in the admin area to identify any imported projects from untrusted sources around the time of the vulnerability disclosure
    Affected if Any projects were imported using the import feature during the affected version window
  4. Inspect merge requests referencing imported projects
    Review merge requests in projects that were created via import, checking the description and comments fields for suspicious script tags or JavaScript event handlers
    Affected if Any merge request content contains unsanitized HTML or script tags originating from imported project data

You are affected if your GitLab version falls within the vulnerable range (< 11.1.7, 11.2.0-11.2.3, or 11.3.0) AND the project import feature is accessible to users who could inject malicious content.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 11.1.7 / 11.2.4 or later
Fixed in 11.1.711.2.4
Interim mitigation

Upgrade GitLab to version 11.1.7, 11.2.4, 11.3.1, or later. Alternatively, restrict or disable the project import feature for untrusted users until patching can be performed.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to GitLab 11.1.7, 11.2.4, 11.3.1, or a later stable version (11.4.0+)

  1. 1. Back up your GitLab instance database and repository data before starting the upgrade.
  2. 2. Review the GitLab upgrade documentation for your installation method (Omnibus, source, or Docker).
  3. 3. For GitLab Omnibus installations: Edit /etc/gitlab/gitlab.rb and ensure the package version is set, or use 'apt-get update && apt-get install gitlab-ce=<version>' to install the specific version.
  4. 4. For the affected versions, upgrade to one of the fixed releases: 11.1.7, 11.2.4, or 11.3.1 (or later).
  5. 5. Run 'sudo gitlab-ctl reconfigure' after package installation.
  6. 6. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the GitLab version in the admin area or via 'sudo gitlab-rake gitlab:env:info'.
  7. 7. Test the merge request functionality to confirm the application is working correctly after upgrade.
Caveat Review GitLab release notes for your target version; major version upgrades may require database migrations and have compatibility considerations with existing integrations.

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in GitLab Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,860
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2018-17536 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data