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GitLabApplication

CVE-2022-4167

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-01-12
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 15.5.7 / 15.6.4 or later.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
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
Incorrect Authorization check affecting all versions of GitLab EE from 13.11 prior to 15.5.7, 15.6 prior to 15.6.4, and 15.7 prior to 15.7.2 allows group access tokens to continue working even after the group owner loses the ability to revoke them.

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

An incorrect authorization check in GitLab EE allows group access tokens to remain functional even after a group owner loses the ability to revoke them. This is a broken access control vulnerability where tokens that should be invalidated following a permission change continue to work.

MitigationUpgrade GitLab EE to version 15.5.7, 15.6.4, or 15.7.2 or later to remediate the authorization bypass.

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:>= 13.11.0, < 15.5.7>= 15.6.0, < 15.6.4>= 15.7.0, < 15.7.2

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

CVSS:3.1/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 checks

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

  1. Check installed GitLab version
    Run `sudo gitlab-rake gitlab:version` or check the GitLab admin panel under Help > Version to determine the exact version number
    Affected if The installed version falls within 13.11.0 to 15.5.6, 15.6.0 to 15.6.3, or 15.7.0 to 15.7.1
  2. Identify if group access tokens exist
    In GitLab admin area, navigate to Groups > [group name] > Settings > Access Tokens, or use the API endpoint `GET /groups/:id/access_tokens` to list tokens
    Affected if Any group access tokens are present in the GitLab instance
  3. Verify token revocation behavior
    As a group owner, attempt to revoke a group access token, then verify whether the token continues to authenticate API requests using `curl -H "PRIVATE-TOKEN: <token>" https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/user`
    Affected if After revocation, the token still returns valid user information instead of an authentication error
  4. Test token behavior after permission changes
    Remove a user from a group or change their role to a non-owner, then attempt to use a previously issued group access token
    Affected if The token continues to function with full group access despite the permission change

A user is affected if their GitLab version is within the affected ranges AND group access tokens can still authenticate after being revoked or after the token owner loses group owner permissions.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 15.5.7 / 15.6.4 / 15.7.2 or later
Fixed in 15.5.715.6.415.7.2
Interim mitigation

Upgrade GitLab EE to version 15.5.7, 15.6.4, or 15.7.2 or later to remediate the authorization bypass.

Recommended fix High confidence

GitLab 15.5.7, 15.6.4, or 15.7.2 (depending on your current version)

  1. Back up your GitLab instance data and configuration before proceeding with any upgrade
  2. Determine your current GitLab version by checking the GitLab admin area or running `gitlab-rake gitlab:env:info`
  3. If currently on 15.5.x, upgrade to GitLab 15.5.7
  4. If currently on 15.6.x, upgrade to GitLab 15.6.4
  5. If currently on 15.7.x, upgrade to GitLab 15.7.2
  6. If on an earlier version (13.11.0-15.4.x), plan a multi-step upgrade path through one of the intermediate fixed versions
  7. Run the upgrade following GitLab's standard upgrade documentation for your installation method (omnibus, source, etc.)
  8. After upgrade, verify the instance is functioning correctly
Caveat Review GitLab upgrade notes for your version jump as there may be database migrations or configuration changes required; also note that GitLab 15.x introduced some breaking changes from earlier versions

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in GitLab Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,640
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An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,224.

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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-2022-4167 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