GitLabApplication
CVE-2020-13297
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 vulnerability was discovered in GitLab versions before 13.1.10, 13.2.8 and 13.3.4. When 2 factor authentication was enabled for groups, a malicious user could bypass that restriction by sending a specific query to the API endpoint.
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 confidenceGitLab versions before 13.1.10, 13.2.8, and 13.3.4 contain a 2FA bypass vulnerability in group authentication. When two-factor authentication is enabled for groups, a malicious user can circumvent this protection by sending a specific query to the API endpoint, allowing unauthorized access without completing 2FA.
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
< 13.1.10>= 13.2.0, < 13.2.8>= 13.3.0, < 13.3.4CVSS 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
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check installed GitLab versionAccess the GitLab admin dashboard or use the command `gitlab-rake gitlab:env:info` to display version information. Alternatively, check the /opt/gitlab/version file or the UI at Admin Area > Settings > General > Version.Affected if The version displayed is earlier than 13.1.10, or falls between 13.2.0-13.2.7, or falls between 13.3.0-13.3.3
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Verify if group two-factor authentication is enforcedNavigate to a group's Settings > General > Permissions and visibility, or query the GitLab API endpoint `/api/v4/groups/:id` to inspect the `require_two_factor_authentication` field.Affected if Group-level 2FA enforcement is enabled for any group in the instance, as the vulnerability only affects groups where this setting is turned on
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Check for API access to groupsAttempt a API request to the group membership endpoint (such as `/api/v4/groups/:group_id/members`) without completing two-factor authentication, or review API access logs for unauthenticated or improperly authenticated group requests.Affected if API requests to group endpoints succeed without requiring 2FA completion when group 2FA is configured, indicating potential exploitation of this bypass vulnerability
The environment is affected if GitLab version is less than 13.1.10, between 13.2.0-13.2.7, or between 13.3.0-13.3.3 AND group-level two-factor authentication is enabled for any group.
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 data13.1.1013.2.813.3.4
Upgrade GitLab to version 13.1.10, 13.2.8, 13.3.4 or later. Before production deployment, test the upgrade in a staging environment to verify 2FA group restrictions function correctly.
Fix this in GitLab
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 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 $2,800.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-13297 — 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-2020-13297 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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