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GitLabApplication

CVE-2024-2651

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-05-14
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 16.9.7 / 16.10.5 or later.
See remediation →
71/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 before 16.9.7, all versions starting from 16.10 before 16.10.5, all versions starting from 16.11 before 16.11.2. It was possible for an attacker to cause a denial of service using maliciously crafted markdown content.

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 · moderate confidence

A denial of service vulnerability exists in GitLab CE/EE where maliciously crafted markdown content can be used to cause excessive resource consumption during rendering. The vulnerability affects all versions before 16.9.7, 16.10 through 16.10.4, and 16.11 through 16.11.1.

MitigationUpgrade GitLab to version 16.9.7, 16.10.5, 16.11.2 or later. As a temporary workaround, restrict or sanitize markdown content from untrusted sources.

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:< 16.9.7>= 16.10.0, < 16.10.5>= 16.11.0, < 16.11.2

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
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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. Check installed GitLab version
    Log into the GitLab admin area and navigate to the Help page or use the command 'sudo gitlab-rake gitlab:env:info' in the server terminal. The version is displayed as 'GitLab (version X.Y.Z)'.
    Affected if The displayed version is below 16.9.7, between 16.10.0 and 16.10.4 inclusive, or between 16.11.0 and 16.11.1 inclusive.
  2. Verify GitLab component is exposed
    Confirm that the GitLab instance has markdown rendering enabled. This is typically enabled by default for issues, merge requests, comments, and README files. No additional configuration check is needed as this is a default feature.
    Affected if Markdown rendering is available on the GitLab instance, which is the default state.
  3. Confirm markdown content can be submitted
    Verify that users can submit or create markdown content through issues, merge requests, comments, or wiki pages. Try creating a test issue or comment with any markdown content.
    Affected if Users have the ability to submit or create markdown content in any GitLab project or repository.

If the installed GitLab version falls within the affected ranges (before 16.9.7, 16.10.0-16.10.4, or 16.11.0-16.11.1) and the instance accepts markdown input from users, the environment is vulnerable to the denial of service via maliciously crafted markdown.

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 16.9.7 / 16.10.5 / 16.11.2 or later
Fixed in 16.9.716.10.516.11.2
Interim mitigation

Upgrade GitLab to version 16.9.7, 16.10.5, 16.11.2 or later. As a temporary workaround, restrict or sanitize markdown content from untrusted sources.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to GitLab 16.9.7, 16.10.5, or 16.11.2 (or later) depending on your current version branch

  1. 1. Back up your GitLab instance data before proceeding with the upgrade
  2. 2. Identify your current GitLab version by navigating to the GitLab admin area or running `gitlab-rake gitlab:env:info`
  3. 3. Plan your upgrade path based on your current version: if below 16.9.7, upgrade to 16.9.7 or later; if 16.10.x, upgrade to 16.10.5 or later; if 16.11.0-16.11.1, upgrade to 16.11.2 or later
  4. 4. For self-managed GitLab, follow the official upgrade documentation for your installation method (Omnibus, source, or Helm chart)
  5. 5. For GitLab SaaS (gitlab.com), no action required as the vendor handles updates
  6. 6. After upgrade, verify the GitLab instance is operational and test markdown rendering
Caveat Review GitLab release notes for any breaking changes between your current version and target version 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
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,840
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,544.

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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-2024-2651 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