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GitLabApplication

CVE-2025-11042

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-09-26
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 18.2.7 / 18.3.3 or later.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable No privileges 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 17.2 before 18.2.7, 18.3 before 18.3.3, and 18.4 before 18.4.1, that allows an attacker to cause uncontrolled CPU consumption, potentially leading to a Denial of Service (DoS) condition while using specific GraphQL queries.

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 vulnerability in GitLab CE/EE allows attackers to cause uncontrolled CPU consumption through specific GraphQL queries, leading to denial of service. The issue stems from insufficient resource limits or algorithmic complexity issues in the GraphQL query processing for affected versions.

MitigationUpgrade GitLab to version 18.2.7, 18.3.3, 18.4.1 or later. Consider implementing rate limiting on GraphQL endpoints as a compensating control while planning the upgrade.

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:>= 17.2.0, < 18.2.7>= 18.3.0, < 18.3.3= 18.4.0

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
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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify installed GitLab version
    Run command: sudo gitlab-rake gitlab:env:info OR check the GitLab admin area at /admin/about. The version is displayed in the output under 'GitLab version'.
    Affected if The installed version falls within: >= 17.2.0 and < 18.2.7, OR >= 18.3.0 and < 18.3.3, OR exactly 18.4.0
  2. Confirm GraphQL endpoint is exposed
    Verify the GitLab instance has the GraphQL API enabled. This is enabled by default in standard GitLab installations. Access /api/graphql or /-/graphql endpoint via HTTP to confirm it responds.
    Affected if GraphQL endpoint returns HTTP 200 and accepts queries (the vulnerability requires GraphQL processing to be available)
  3. Check if the instance processes complex GraphQL queries
    Review any external-facing API access logs or internal usage of GraphQL queries. GraphQL is used by GitLab UI and API consumers. No special configuration check needed as it's enabled by default.
    Affected if The GitLab instance processes any GraphQL queries - this is the default behavior for GitLab installations

An environment is affected if it runs a GitLab version within the ranges 17.2.0 to 18.2.6, 18.3.0 to 18.3.2, or 18.4.0, and has the GraphQL endpoint enabled (default configuration).

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 18.2.7 / 18.3.3 or later
Fixed in 18.2.718.3.3
Interim mitigation

Upgrade GitLab to version 18.2.7, 18.3.3, 18.4.1 or later. Consider implementing rate limiting on GraphQL endpoints as a compensating control while planning the upgrade.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to GitLab 18.4.1 or later (or at minimum 18.2.7 for the 17.2-18.2 branch, 18.3.3 for the 18.3 branch, or 18.4.1 for the 18.4 branch)

  1. 1. Back up your GitLab instance data and configuration before upgrading
  2. 2. Check your current GitLab version by running `gitlab-rake gitlab:env:info`
  3. 3. Plan your upgrade path according to GitLab's upgrade documentation (gitlab.com documentation for upgrading)
  4. 4. Update the GitLab package repository: `apt-get update` or follow your distribution's package update method
  5. 5. Stop GitLab services: `gitlab-ctl stop`
  6. 6. Install the updated package: `apt-get install gitlab-ce` (or `gitlab-ee` depending on your edition)
  7. 7. Reconfigure GitLab: `gitlab-ctl reconfigure`
  8. 8. Verify the upgrade was successful and GitLab is operational
Caveat Review GitLab's release notes for breaking changes between your current version and the 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
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,500
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An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,600.

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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-2025-11042 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