GitLabApplication
CVE-2020-13268
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 · uneditedA specially crafted request could be used to confirm the existence of files hosted on object storage services, without disclosing their contents. This vulnerability affects GitLab CE/EE 12.10 and later through 13.0.1
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 confidenceThis vulnerability in GitLab allows an attacker to confirm the existence of files on object storage services (S3, Azure Blob, GCS, etc.) through specially crafted requests, without actually reading the file contents. The server responds differently based on whether a file exists, enabling reconnaissance to map stored files, artifacts, or 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
>= 12.10.0, <= 13.0.1CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check installed GitLab versionRun `gitlab-rake gitlab:env:info` or check the GitLab admin panel under Admin Area > Overview > Version. Alternatively, check the package version with `dpkg -l | grep gitlab` or `rpm -qa | grep gitlab`.Affected if The version is 12.10.0 through 13.0.1 inclusive (12.10.0 <= version <= 13.0.1).
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Verify object storage is configuredCheck GitLab configuration files (typically /etc/gitlab/gitlab.rb) for object storage settings. Look for `object_storage` blocks or S3/Azure/GCS configuration sections, or inspect via GitLab Rails console with `Gitlab.config.objects`.Affected if Object storage (S3, Azure Blob, GCS, or other compatible service) is enabled and configured for storing artifacts, uploads, or other GitLab files.
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Confirm exposed object storage pathsReview web server or reverse proxy logs for requests to paths containing `/uploads/`, `/artifacts/`, or similar object storage related endpoints. Check if these endpoints are accessible without authentication via the public API or webhook endpoints.Affected if Unauthenticated or low-privilege users can access endpoints that proxy requests to configured object storage backends.
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Test for differential responsesSend two similar requests to the same object storage path - one with a known-existing file path and one with a random/non-existing path. Compare HTTP status codes and error messages. A vulnerable instance returns measurably different responses (e.g., 200 OK vs 404, or different error content).Affected if The server returns different HTTP status codes or error messages based on whether a file exists on the object storage backend.
You are affected if your GitLab version is between 12.10.0 and 13.0.1 inclusive AND object storage is configured and accessible to users who could probe for file existence.
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 dataUpgrade GitLab to version 13.0.2 or later. If immediate upgrade is not feasible, consider implementing additional request rate limiting or access controls on object storage API endpoints to reduce the attack surface.
Fix this in GitLab
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,560.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-13268 — 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-2020-13268 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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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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