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GitLabApplication

CVE-2024-1451

HIGH · 8.7 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-02-22
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
91/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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 CE/EE affecting all versions starting from 16.9 before 16.9.1. A crafted payload added to the user profile page could lead to a stored XSS on the client side, allowing 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 cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in GitLab CE/EE versions 16.9 before 16.9.1 allows authenticated users to inject malicious JavaScript via crafted payloads in user profile fields. When other users view the compromised profile, the payload executes in their browsers, enabling session hijacking and arbitrary actions.

MitigationUpgrade to GitLab 16.9.1 or later to receive the patch. As an interim measure, restrict or sanitize user profile field inputs until the upgrade can be completed.

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:= 16.9.0

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
High
Integrity
High
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/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. Identify the installed GitLab version
    Run 'gitlab-rake gitlab:version' or check the version file at /opt/gitlab/version
    Affected if The version shown is exactly 16.9.0, which falls within the affected range (16.9 before 16.9.1)
  2. Verify user profiles are enabled
    Check GitLab admin settings under Settings > General > User settings, or inspect the gitlab.yml configuration file for allow_user_registration or similar profile-related settings
    Affected if User profiles are enabled, which is the default state and required for the vulnerable feature to be accessible
  3. Inspect user profile fields for suspicious content
    As an administrator, access the Admin Area > Users section and review profile fields (such as bio, location, or website) for any unexpected script tags, event handlers, or encoded payloads
    Affected if Any user profile fields contain unescaped HTML, script tags, or JavaScript event handlers that would execute when the profile is viewed
  4. Check for recent unauthorized profile modifications
    Review GitLab audit logs for events related to user profile updates, filtering for the timeframe since version 16.9.0 was deployed
    Affected if Audit logs show profile changes containing potentially malicious payloads or unexpected modifications to admin accounts

A user is affected if running GitLab version 16.9.0 with user profiles enabled and any profile fields contain unsanitized script content that could execute in viewers' browsers.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade to GitLab 16.9.1 or later to receive the patch. As an interim measure, restrict or sanitize user profile field inputs until the upgrade can be completed.

Recommended fix High confidence

16.9.1

  1. 1. Back up your GitLab instance data and configuration before proceeding with the upgrade
  2. 2. Upgrade GitLab to version 16.9.1 or later using your preferred installation method (omnibus, source, or package manager)
  3. 3. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the GitLab version in the admin area
  4. 4. Test that the user profile functionality works correctly post-upgrade

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-2024-1451 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