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GitLabApplication

CVE-2022-4331

HIGH · 7.3 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-03-09
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 15.7.8 / 15.8.4 or later.
See remediation →
77/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable

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 EE affecting all versions starting from 15.1 before 15.7.8, all versions starting from 15.8 before 15.8.4, all versions starting from 15.9 before 15.9.2. If a group with SAML SSO enabled is transferred to a new namespace as a child group, it's possible previously removed malicious maintainer or owner of the child group can still gain access to the group via SSO or a SCIM token to perform actions on the group.

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

In GitLab EE, when a group with SAML SSO enabled is transferred to a new namespace as a child group, the group membership is not properly invalidated during the transfer. Previously removed malicious maintainers or owners can regain access by authenticating via SSO or using a SCIM token, bypassing the access revocation that should have occurred.

MitigationUpgrade GitLab EE to version 15.7.8, 15.8.4, 15.9.2, or later. After upgrading, review and manually revoke access for any previously removed users who may have regained access through this vulnerability.

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:>= 15.1, < 15.7.8>= 15.8, < 15.8.4>= 15.9, < 15.9.2

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
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/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 GitLab version
    Run `gitlab-rake gitlab:version` or check the GitLab admin area under Help > Version to obtain the installed GitLab EE version.
    Affected if The installed version falls within 15.1 to <15.7.8, 15.8 to <15.8.4, or 15.9 to <15.9.2.
  2. Identify groups with SAML SSO enabled
    In GitLab admin area, navigate to Groups > SAML SSO and review all groups listed with SAML identity providers configured. Alternatively, query the database: `SELECT id, name, saml_provider_id FROM namespaces WHERE saml_provider_id IS NOT NULL;`
    Affected if Any group has SAML SSO enabled (saml_provider_id is not null).
  3. Review group transfer history
    Navigate to the GitLab admin area under Groups > Groups and review the activity log or audit events for group transfer actions. Look for transfers where a group was moved to become a child group under a new parent namespace.
    Affected if Any group with SAML SSO enabled has been transferred to a new parent namespace (becoming a child group).
  4. Audit group membership for previously removed users
    Review the audit logs under Group > Settings > Audit Events for membership removal events. Cross-reference with current group members under Group > Members. Check for users who were removed as maintainers or owners but may still appear as members after a group transfer.
    Affected if Previously removed maintainers or owners are present in group membership following a group transfer involving SAML SSO-enabled groups.

A user is affected if running a vulnerable GitLab EE version (15.1 to <15.7.8, 15.8 to <15.8.4, or 15.9 to <15.9.2) AND has performed a group transfer on a group with SAML SSO enabled, where previously removed users may have regained access.

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 15.7.8 / 15.8.4 / 15.9.2 or later
Fixed in 15.7.815.8.415.9.2
Interim mitigation

Upgrade GitLab EE to version 15.7.8, 15.8.4, 15.9.2, or later. After upgrading, review and manually revoke access for any previously removed users who may have regained access through this vulnerability.

Recommended fix High confidence

15.7.8, 15.8.4, or 15.9.2 (and later)

  1. 1. Backup your GitLab instance database and repositories before upgrading
  2. 2. Determine your current GitLab version by running `gitlab-rake gitlab:env:info`
  3. 3. Schedule a maintenance window for the upgrade
  4. 4. For versions 15.1-15.7.x: upgrade to version 15.7.8 or later
  5. 5. For versions 15.8.x: upgrade to version 15.8.4 or later
  6. 6. For versions 15.9.x: upgrade to version 15.9.2 or later
  7. 7. After upgrade, verify SAML SSO and SCIM group membership synchronization is working correctly
  8. 8. Review group membership to ensure only authorized users have access to transferred groups
Caveat GitLab major version upgrades may have breaking changes; review release notes before upgrading

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

Fix this in GitLab Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,860
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,176.

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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-2022-4331 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