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GitLabApplication

CVE-2025-11246

MEDIUM · 5.4 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-01-09
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 18.5.5 / 18.6.3 or later.
See remediation →
60/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
GitLab has remediated an issue in GitLab CE/EE affecting all versions from 15.4 before 18.5.5, 18.6 before 18.6.3, and 18.7 before 18.7.1 that could have allowed an authenticated user with specific permissions to remove all project runners from unrelated projects by manipulating GraphQL runner associations.

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

This is an authorization bypass vulnerability in GitLab's GraphQL API where an authenticated user with specific (likely non-admin) permissions could remove project runners from unrelated projects by manipulating GraphQL runner associations. The issue stems from insufficient access control checks when handling runner associations across different projects.

MitigationUpgrade GitLab to version 18.5.5, 18.6.3, 18.7.1 or later. As a compensating control, audit runner configurations and restrict GraphQL API access until patches are applied.

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:>= 15.4.0, < 18.5.5>= 18.6.0, < 18.6.3= 18.7.0

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
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
Low
Availability
Low

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:L

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. Determine your GitLab version
    Run `sudo gitlab-rake gitlab:version` or check the GitLab admin panel under Admin Area > Overview > Dashboard. You can also check the /opt/gitlab/version file.
    Affected if The installed version falls outside the safe ranges: not 18.5.5+, not 18.6.3+, not 18.7.1+, and is 15.4.0 or higher. Versions below 15.4.0 are not affected.
  2. Verify GraphQL API is accessible
    Check if the GraphQL endpoint responds at your GitLab instance /api/graphql. You can test with a curl request to that endpoint.
    Affected if GraphQL API is exposed and responds to queries, which is the default configuration for GitLab instances.
  3. Confirm runner configuration exists
    Navigate to Admin Area > CI/CD > Runners, or use the UI under Project Settings > CI/CD > Runners. Alternatively, query the GraphQL API for runner associations.
    Affected if At least one project runner is registered and associated with projects, making runner manipulation queries possible.
  4. Review GraphQL API access logs
    Search GitLab logs (typically in /var/log/gitlab/gitlab-rails/production.log) for mutation operations related to runners, such as `destroyProjectRunner` or runner unassignment mutations, especially from non-admin accounts.
    Affected if You find GraphQL mutations removing or disassociating runners performed by users without admin privileges on projects outside their scope.

Your environment is affected if you are running a vulnerable GitLab version (15.4.0 through 18.5.4, 18.6.0 through 18.6.2, or 18.7.0) and have the GraphQL API enabled with configured project runners.

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 18.5.5 / 18.6.3 or later
Fixed in 18.5.518.6.3
Interim mitigation

Upgrade GitLab to version 18.5.5, 18.6.3, 18.7.1 or later. As a compensating control, audit runner configurations and restrict GraphQL API access until patches are applied.

Recommended fix High confidence

18.7.1 (or later 18.x release)

  1. Backup your GitLab instance before upgrading
  2. Plan maintenance window as GitLab upgrades require downtime
  3. Review GitLab upgrade documentation for your deployment method (omnibus, source, or Helm chart)
  4. Execute upgrade following GitLab's official upgrade path for your current version
  5. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking GitLab version and ensuring core services are operational
  6. Confirm the vulnerability is remediated by verifying GraphQL runner functionality works correctly
Caveat Standard GitLab upgrade considerations apply - review release notes for breaking changes between your current version and 18.7.1, especially regarding API/GraphQL changes and database migrations

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 / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,930
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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-2025-11246 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