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GitLabApplication

CVE-2024-9693

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-11-14
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 17.3.7 / 17.4.4 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 CE/EE affecting all versions starting from 16.0 prior to 17.3.7, starting from 17.4 prior to 17.4.4, and starting from 17.5 prior to 17.5.2, which could have allowed unauthorized access to the Kubernetes agent in a cluster under specific configurations.

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

This is an authorization bypass vulnerability in GitLab's Kubernetes agent feature that allows unauthorized access to the Kubernetes agent in a cluster under specific configurations. The issue affects multiple version ranges across GitLab 16.x, 17.x and requires updating to the patched versions (17.3.7, 17.4.4, or 17.5.2).

MitigationUpgrade GitLab to version 17.3.7, 17.4.4, or 17.5.2 or later. Review and audit Kubernetes agent configurations and cluster access permissions after patching.

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:>= 16.0.0, < 17.3.7>= 17.4.0, < 17.4.4>= 17.5.0, < 17.5.2

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 GitLab version
    Run `sudo gitlab-rake gitlab:version` or check the GitLab admin panel at /admin/about to determine the installed version number
    Affected if The installed version falls within >= 16.0.0 and < 17.3.7, OR >= 17.4.0 and < 17.4.4, OR >= 17.5.0 and < 17.5.2
  2. Verify Kubernetes agent is in use
    Check for .gitlab/agents/ directory in any project or navigate to the GitLab admin panel under Kubernetes cluster integrations to see if any agents are configured
    Affected if Kubernetes agents are configured and active in the GitLab instance
  3. Inspect agent configuration for authorization settings
    Review the agent configuration YAML file in .gitlab/agent/<agent-name>/config.yaml for user_access or group_access blocks that control authorization
    Affected if The agent has user_access or group_access configurations that allow access from users or groups outside the intended scope, or if authorization rules are missing or misconfigured

The environment is affected if GitLab version is within the vulnerable ranges AND the Kubernetes agent feature is actively configured with potentially misaligned authorization settings.

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 17.3.7 / 17.4.4 / 17.5.2 or later
Fixed in 17.3.717.4.417.5.2
Interim mitigation

Upgrade GitLab to version 17.3.7, 17.4.4, or 17.5.2 or later. Review and audit Kubernetes agent configurations and cluster access permissions after patching.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to GitLab 17.3.7, 17.4.4, 17.5.2 or later (preferably latest 17.x stable release)

  1. 1. Back up your GitLab instance database and repositories before upgrading
  2. 2. Check current GitLab version via Admin Area > Dashboard or using `gitlab-rake gitlab:env:info`
  3. 3. Plan maintenance window as upgrade requires brief downtime
  4. 4. For Debian/Ubuntu: Run `sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install gitlab-ee` (or `gitlab-ce` for Community Edition)
  5. 5. For RHEL/CentOS: Run `sudo yum install gitlab-ee` (or `gitlab-ce`)
  6. 6. Reconfigure GitLab: `sudo gitlab-ctl reconfigure`
  7. 7. Verify the upgrade completed successfully: `sudo gitlab-rake gitlab:env:info`
  8. 8. Confirm version shows 17.3.7, 17.4.4, or 17.5.2 or later
Caveat Review GitLab 17.x release notes for any breaking changes specific to your configuration, particularly around Kubernetes agent and API functionality

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

Fix this in GitLab Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
24.0 hours of engineering $4,260
Get the upgrade done

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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-2024-9693 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