GitLabApplication

CVE-2020-13355

HIGH · 8.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-11-19
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 13.3.9 / 13.4.5 or later.
See remediation →
87/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable 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 has been discovered in GitLab CE/EE affecting all versions starting from 8.14. A path traversal is found in LFS Upload that allows attacker to overwrite certain specific paths on the server. Affected versions are: >=8.14, <13.3.9,>=13.4, <13.4.5,>=13.5, <13.5.2.

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 path traversal vulnerability exists in GitLab's LFS (Large File Storage) upload functionality across multiple versions from 8.14 onward. The flaw allows authenticated attackers to traverse directories and overwrite specific files on the server through specially crafted LFS upload requests.

MitigationUpgrade GitLab to version 13.3.9, 13.4.5, 13.5.2 or later. If immediate patching is not feasible, restrict LFS upload permissions and monitor for unauthorized file modifications.

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:>= 8.14.0, < 13.3.9>= 13.4.0, < 13.4.5>= 13.5.0, < 13.5.2

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
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
High
Availability
High

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

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. Identify GitLab version
    Run `sudo gitlab-rake gitlab:env:info` or check the GitLab admin panel under Admin Area > Dashboard to find the installed version number.
    Affected if The version falls within 8.14.0 to 13.3.8, 13.4.0 to 13.4.4, or 13.5.0 to 13.5.1.
  2. Verify LFS is enabled
    Check the GitLab configuration file (gitlab.rb) for `gitlab_rails['lfs_enabled']` setting, or navigate to Admin Area > Settings > General > Large File Storage (LFS) and confirm if LFS is enabled.
    Affected if LFS is enabled on the instance.
  3. Confirm LFS upload permissions
    Check if any user roles or projects have LFS upload capabilities enabled. Review project settings under Project > Settings > Large File Storage to see if LFS is configured for any repositories.
    Affected if Users or groups have permission to upload LFS objects to any project.
  4. Review LFS object storage configuration
    Inspect the GitLab configuration for LFS storage paths in gitlab.rb (`gitlab_rails['lfs_storage_path']` or `lfs_object_store_` settings) to determine where LFS files are stored.
    Affected if LFS is using local storage without strict path validation.

You are affected if your GitLab version is within the vulnerable range AND LFS is enabled with upload permissions for authenticated users.

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 13.3.9 / 13.4.5 / 13.5.2 or later
Fixed in 13.3.913.4.513.5.2
Interim mitigation

Upgrade GitLab to version 13.3.9, 13.4.5, 13.5.2 or later. If immediate patching is not feasible, restrict LFS upload permissions and monitor for unauthorized file modifications.

Fix this in GitLab Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
21.0 hours of engineering $3,680
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An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,888.

Scan for this in your stack

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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-2020-13355 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