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GitLabApplication

CVE-2023-0050

MEDIUM · 5.4 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 →
58/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
High EPSS 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 affecting all versions starting from 13.7 before 15.7.8, all versions starting from 15.8 before 15.8.4, all versions starting from 15.9 before 15.9.2. A specially crafted Kroki diagram could lead to a stored XSS on the client side which allows attackers to perform arbitrary actions on behalf of victims.

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 stored XSS vulnerability exists in GitLab's Kroki diagram rendering feature. Attackers can embed malicious JavaScript in specially crafted Kroki diagrams that executes when other users view the diagram, enabling session hijacking and arbitrary actions on behalf of victims.

MitigationUpgrade GitLab to version 15.7.9, 15.8.5, or 15.9.3 or later. Alternatively, temporarily disable the Kroki integration if upgrading is not immediately feasible.

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:>= 13.7, < 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
Changed
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/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 checks

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

  1. Determine installed GitLab version
    Run `sudo gitlab-rake gitlab:env:info` or check the GitLab admin area at /admin/about. The version is also visible in the footer of any GitLab page when logged in.
    Affected if The version is 13.7 through 15.7.7, 15.8.0 through 15.8.3, or 15.9.0 through 15.9.1.
  2. Verify Kroki integration status
    Navigate to Admin Area > Settings > Kroki (or /admin/kroki), or check via API at /api/v4/kroki. Look for the 'Enable Kroki' setting.
    Affected if Kroki integration is enabled and the GitLab version falls within the affected ranges.
  3. Review Kroki diagram usage logs
    Check GitLab logs for requests to /-/kroki/ endpoints. Search audit logs for Kroki-related events at /admin/audit_events. Look for diagrams from untrusted sources or unusual diagram content.
    Affected if There are Kroki diagrams in repositories or wikis that were created or modified around the time the vulnerability was publicly known (early 2023) and the instance meets the version criteria.
  4. Inspect stored Kroki diagram content
    Search project repositories and wikis for .puml, .dot, .mermaid, or other Kroki-supported file types. Review the raw content of these files for suspicious script tags or encoded JavaScript.
    Affected if Kroki diagram files contain base64-encoded or otherwise obfuscated script tags that could execute XSS when rendered.

You are affected if your GitLab version is within the ranges 13.7 to 15.7.7, 15.8.0 to 15.8.3, or 15.9.0 to 15.9.1 AND the Kroki integration is enabled.

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 to version 15.7.9, 15.8.5, or 15.9.3 or later. Alternatively, temporarily disable the Kroki integration if upgrading is not immediately feasible.

Recommended fix High confidence

15.10.0 or later (or 15.7.8/15.8.4/15.9.2 depending on your branch)

  1. Identify the current GitLab version running in your environment
  2. Determine which version range your current installation falls into (13.7-15.7.x, 15.8-15.8.x, or 15.9-15.9.x)
  3. Schedule a maintenance window for the upgrade
  4. Back up the GitLab instance database and repositories
  5. Follow the official GitLab upgrade documentation for your installation method
  6. Upgrade to version 15.7.8 or later if on 15.7.x; upgrade to 15.8.4 or later if on 15.8.x; upgrade to 15.9.2 or later if on 15.9.x; or upgrade to 15.10.0 or later for the simplest path
  7. After upgrade, verify the Kroki diagram functionality works correctly
  8. Review audit logs for any suspicious Kroki diagram submissions that may indicate exploitation attempts
Caveat GitLab major version upgrades may have breaking changes; review the release notes for intermediate versions before upgrading

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
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,490
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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-2023-0050 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