GitLabApplication
CVE-2018-20229
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 · uneditedGitLab Community and Enterprise Edition before 11.3.14, 11.4.x before 11.4.12, and 11.5.x before 11.5.5 allows Directory Traversal.
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 confidenceA directory traversal vulnerability in GitLab Community and Enterprise Edition allows attackers to access files outside the web root folder via path traversal sequences. This affects versions before 11.3.14, 11.4.x before 11.4.12, and 11.5.x before 11.5.5, potentially enabling unauthorized read access to sensitive files on the host system.
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
< 11.3.14>= 11.4.0, < 11.4.12>= 11.5.0, < 11.5.5CVSS 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
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Determine installed GitLab versionRun `sudo gitlab-rake gitlab:env:info` or check the GitLab admin panel under the Help > Versions section. Alternatively, check the version file if installed from package: `cat /opt/gitlab/version` or check the package manager: `dpkg -l | grep gitlab-ee` or `rpm -qa | grep gitlab`Affected if The installed version falls within < 11.3.14, >= 11.4.0 and < 11.4.12, or >= 11.5.0 and < 11.5.5
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Identify if file import/export feature is accessibleVerify whether the project import/export or file upload functionality is enabled in the GitLab instance. Check the Rails console or admin settings for feature flags related to project import/export: `sudo gitlab-rails console` then `Feature.enabled?(:project_import_export)`Affected if The file import/export feature is enabled on the instance and the GitLab version is within the affected ranges
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Review for path traversal indicators in access logsSearch GitLab access logs (typically in /var/log/gitlab/nginx/gitlab_access.log or /var/log/gitlab/gitlab-rails/production.log) for patterns containing ../ sequences, particularly in parameters related to file import/export endpoints such as /api/v4/projects/import or export-related routesAffected if Log entries show path traversal sequences like ../ in requests to import/export endpoints and the GitLab version is vulnerable
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Confirm the instance exposes import/export API endpointsTest if the GitLab API responds at endpoints like /api/v4/projects/import (POST request returns 401/403 for unauthorized but confirms endpoint exists). Check admin panel under Settings > Import and export for enabled import sourcesAffected if The import/export functionality is exposed externally and the GitLab version is in the affected range
The environment is affected if GitLab is running a version within 11.3.14, 11.4.0-11.4.11, or 11.5.0-11.5.4 and has the project import/export feature accessible.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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.
From vendor data11.3.1411.4.1211.5.5
Upgrade GitLab to version 11.3.14, 11.4.12, 11.5.5 or later. If immediate upgrade is not feasible, restrict file upload functionality and monitor for suspicious path traversal patterns in requests.
Fix this in GitLab
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,600.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-20229 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2018-20229 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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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.
- 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