dbcve.org
GitLabApplication

CVE-2019-15740

MEDIUM · 5.3 CVSS v3.1 Published 2019-09-16
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 12.0.8 / 12.1.8 or later.
See remediation →
62/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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 7.9 through 12.2.1. EXIF Geolocation data was not being removed from certain image uploads.

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

GitLab versions 7.9 through 12.2.1 failed to strip EXIF geolocation metadata from uploaded images, causing sensitive location data embedded in image files to be stored and potentially exposed to other users.

MitigationUpgrade GitLab to version 12.2.2 or later, which includes the fix to remove EXIF geolocation data from uploads.

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:>= 7.9.0, < 12.0.8>= 12.1.0, < 12.1.8>= 12.2.0, < 12.2.3

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
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/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 checks

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

  1. Check installed GitLab version
    Run `gitlab-rake gitlab:env:info` or check `/opt/gitlab/version-manifest.txt` ( Omnibus install) or `dpkg -l gitlab-ce` / `rpm -q gitlab-ce`
    Affected if Version falls in ranges 7.9.0 to 12.0.7, 12.1.0 to 12.1.7, or 12.2.0 to 12.2.2
  2. Verify file uploads are enabled
    Check GitLab admin settings at /admin/application_settings or run `gitlab-ctl show-config | grep uploads`
    Affected if File uploads are enabled (default state) - the vulnerability only applies when uploads are allowed
  3. Identify uploaded image files
    Examine directories containing user uploads: typically under `/var/opt/gitlab/gitlab-rails/uploads/` or the configured `uploads_directory`
    Affected if Any image files exist in the uploads directory - these may contain unstripped EXIF geolocation data
  4. Inspect EXIF data in sample uploaded images
    Use `exiftool <imagefile>` or `identify -verbose <imagefile>` (ImageMagick) on uploaded user images to check for GPS tags
    Affected if GPS-related EXIF tags (GPSLatitude, GPSLongitude, GPSAltitude) are present in uploaded images

You are affected if running a vulnerable GitLab version (7.9.0-12.0.7, 12.1.0-12.1.7, or 12.2.0-12.2.2) with file uploads enabled and users have uploaded images that may contain EXIF geolocation metadata.

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.

From vendor data
Upgrade available Upgrade to 12.0.8 / 12.1.8 / 12.2.3 or later
Fixed in 12.0.812.1.812.2.3
Interim mitigation

Upgrade GitLab to version 12.2.2 or later, which includes the fix to remove EXIF geolocation data from uploads.

Fix this in GitLab Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,930
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,088.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2019-15740 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2019-15740 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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