GitLabApplication
CVE-2024-2800
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 · uneditedReDoS flaw in RefMatcher when matching branch names using wildcards in GitLab EE/CE affecting all versions from 11.3 prior to 17.0.6, 17.1 prior to 17.1.4, and 17.2 prior to 17.2.2 allows denial of service via Regex backtracking.
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 confidenceA ReDoS (Regular Expression Denial of Service) vulnerability exists in GitLab's RefMatcher component when processing branch names with wildcards. The regex pattern used for matching can trigger excessive backtracking, causing denial of service through CPU exhaustion.
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
>= 11.3.0, < 17.0.6>= 17.1.0, < 17.1.4>= 17.2.0, < 17.2.2CVSS 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
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check installed GitLab versionRun `cat /opt/gitlab/version` or access the GitLab Admin Dashboard > Monitor > Version. Alternatively, use the API: `curl -s https://your-gitlab-instance/api/v4/version`Affected if The version number falls within any of these ranges: 11.3.0 to 17.0.5, 17.1.0 to 17.1.3, or 17.2.0 to 17.2.1
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Identify use of wildcard branch protection rulesNavigate to Project > Settings > Repository > Protected branches. Review all protected branch rules to see if any use wildcard patterns (e.g., release-*, feature-*, or *).Affected if Protected branches exist that use wildcard patterns, as these trigger the vulnerable RefMatcher regex code path.
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Verify RefMatcher component is reachableAttempt to trigger branch name matching by creating a pipeline, MR, or push involving branches that match wildcard protected branch patterns. Check if this causes unusual CPU load or timeout behavior.Affected if Processing branch names with wildcards causes high CPU usage or request timeouts, indicating the vulnerable regex is being exercised.
You are affected if your GitLab version is below 17.0.6 (or below 17.1.4 / 17.2.2 depending on your major.minor line) AND you use wildcard patterns in protected branch rules.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 · scoped17.0.617.1.417.2.2
Upgrade GitLab to version 17.0.6, 17.1.4, 17.2.2 or later to receive the patch for this vulnerability.
17.0.6, 17.1.4, or 17.2.2 or later (choose based on your current major version branch)
- Back up your GitLab instance data and database before proceeding with the upgrade
- Review the GitLab upgrade documentation for your current version to ensure compatibility with the target version
- Upgrade GitLab to version 17.0.6, 17.1.4, or 17.2.2 (or a later stable release within your major version branch)
- After upgrade, verify the GitLab service is running correctly
- Test branch matching functionality to confirm the ReDoS vulnerability is resolved
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
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,984.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-2800 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2024-2800 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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