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GitLabApplication

CVE-2024-8186

MEDIUM · 5.4 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-03-03
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 17.7.6 / 17.8.4 or later.
See remediation →
58/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 from 16.6 before 17.7.6, 17.8 before 17.8.4, and 17.9 before 17.9.1. An attacker could inject HMTL into the child item search potentially leading to XSS in certain situations.

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 allows attackers to inject malicious HTML/JavaScript into the child item search field. When victims view the search results containing the injected content, the malicious script executes in their browser context.

MitigationUpgrade GitLab to version 17.7.6, 17.8.4, 17.9.1 or later. Until upgraded, restrict access to the child item search functionality or implement WAF rules to filter malicious input.

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:>= 16.6.0, < 17.7.6>= 17.8.0, < 17.8.4= 17.9.0

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
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. Check installed GitLab version
    Navigate to the GitLab Admin area (Admin > Overview > Dashboard) or run `sudo gitlab-rake gitlab:env:info` to display version information. The version is also visible in the page footer of the GitLab UI.
    Affected if The installed version falls within 16.6.0 to 17.7.5, 17.8.0 to 17.8.3, or equals 17.9.0.
  2. Verify child item search feature is accessible
    The vulnerability exists in the child item search field, typically found in project issue or epic hierarchies. Check if users with reporter or higher roles can access issue/epic boards and use the search functionality that displays child items.
    Affected if The child item search interface is available to authenticated users in the GitLab instance.
  3. Review audit logs for suspicious search input
    Examine GitLab audit logs (Admin > Analytics > Audit Events) for entries containing HTML, script tags, or JavaScript event handlers in search field parameters. Filter for event type related to search or list actions.
    Affected if Audit logs show encoded or raw HTML/script content in search queries, indicating potential exploitation attempts.
  4. Inspect browser console for XSS indicators
    If you have access to a test account, use the child item search functionality and check the browser developer console (F12) for any script errors or injected script execution when viewing search results.
    Affected if Malicious scripts execute or console shows XSS warnings when viewing search results containing injected content.

A GitLab instance is affected if it runs a version in the vulnerable ranges AND the child item search feature is enabled and accessible to users.

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 17.7.6 / 17.8.4 or later
Fixed in 17.7.617.8.4
Interim mitigation

Upgrade GitLab to version 17.7.6, 17.8.4, 17.9.1 or later. Until upgraded, restrict access to the child item search functionality or implement WAF rules to filter malicious input.

Recommended fix High confidence

GitLab 17.7.6, 17.8.4, or 17.9.1 (or later) depending on starting version

  1. 1. Identify the currently installed GitLab version using `gitlab-rake gitlab:env:info` or the GitLab admin interface
  2. 2. Based on your current version, plan the upgrade path to the fixed release
  3. 3. For GitLab 16.6.x through 17.7.x: Upgrade to GitLab 17.7.6 or later
  4. 4. For GitLab 17.8.x: Upgrade to GitLab 17.8.4 or later
  5. 5. For GitLab 17.9.0: Upgrade to GitLab 17.9.1 or later
  6. 6. Follow the official GitLab upgrade documentation for your deployment method (omnibus, source, etc.)
  7. 7. After upgrade, verify the version with `gitlab-rake gitlab:env:info`
Caveat Review GitLab release notes for any breaking changes between your current 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
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,420
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An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,272.

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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-2024-8186 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