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GitLabApplication

CVE-2024-9164

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-10-11
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 17.2.9 / 17.3.5 or later.
See remediation →
94/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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 was discovered in GitLab EE affecting all versions starting from 12.5 prior to 17.2.9, starting from 17.3, prior to 17.3.5, and starting from 17.4 prior to 17.4.2, which allows running pipelines on arbitrary branches.

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

GitLab EE allows authenticated users to run CI/CD pipelines on arbitrary branches, including protected branches they should not have access to. This is an authorization bypass where the pipeline execution permission checks can be circumvented, potentially allowing unauthorized code execution in the context of the pipeline runner.

MitigationUpgrade GitLab EE to version 17.2.9, 17.3.5, 17.4.2 or later. In the meantime, review and restrict pipeline permissions for non-admin users and audit recent pipeline executions on sensitive branches.

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:>= 12.5.0, < 17.2.9>= 17.3.0, < 17.3.5>= 17.4.0, < 17.4.2

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
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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. Identify installed GitLab version
    Run command: gitlab-rake gitlab:env:info or check /opt/gitlab/version-manifest.txt. Also check the GitLab admin dashboard at /admin/application_settings or via API: curl --header "PRIVATE-TOKEN: <token>" https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/version
    Affected if The installed version falls within >= 12.5.0, < 17.2.9; >= 17.3.0, < 17.3.5; or >= 17.4.0, < 17.4.2
  2. Confirm CI/CD pipelines are enabled
    Check if projects have .gitlab-ci.yml files and pipelines enabled. Query API: curl --header "PRIVATE-TOKEN: <token>" https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/projects/<id>/pipelines or check project CI/CD settings in the web UI at /<project>/-/settings/ci_cd
    Affected if CI/CD pipelines are active and projects use protected branches for deployment or sensitive tasks
  3. Audit pipeline executions on protected branches
    Query pipeline logs via API: curl --header "PRIVATE-TOKEN: <token>" https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/projects/<id>/pipelines?ref=<protected_branch_name>. Also check /<project>/-/pipelines for pipeline history on branches marked as protected
    Affected if Pipelines were executed by users who lack maintainer or developer access to the protected branch according to project settings
  4. Review user pipeline permissions
    Check pipeline trigger tokens and API token permissions at /<project>/-/settings/ci_cd. List pipeline builders: curl --header "PRIVATE-TOKEN: <token>" https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/projects/<id>/members/all
    Affected if Non-admin users have pipeline execution rights on projects with protected branches, and their access level is lower than the branch protection requires

The environment is affected if GitLab version is within the vulnerable ranges AND CI/CD pipelines exist on projects with protected branches that may have been executed by unauthorized 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 17.2.9 / 17.3.5 / 17.4.2 or later
Fixed in 17.2.917.3.517.4.2
Interim mitigation

Upgrade GitLab EE to version 17.2.9, 17.3.5, 17.4.2 or later. In the meantime, review and restrict pipeline permissions for non-admin users and audit recent pipeline executions on sensitive branches.

Recommended fix High confidence

17.2.9, 17.3.5, or 17.4.2 (recommended: latest 17.4.x stable release)

  1. Upgrade GitLab to version 17.2.9 or later, OR version 17.3.5 or later, OR version 17.4.2 or later
  2. For self-managed GitLab instances, follow the standard upgrade procedure: backup your database and Git repositories, stop GitLab services, install the new version, reconfigure, and restart services
  3. After upgrade, verify that pipeline jobs can only be triggered by authorized users with appropriate permissions

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in GitLab Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,800.

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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-2024-9164 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