dbcve.org
GitLabApplication

CVE-2025-11974

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-10-27
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 18.3.5 / 18.4.3 or later.
See remediation →
71/100
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 11.7 before 18.3.5, 18.4 before 18.4.3, and 18.5 before 18.5.1 that could have allowed an unauthenticated attacker to create a denial of service condition by uploading large files to specific API endpoints.

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 CE/EE contains a denial of service vulnerability affecting versions from 11.7 before 18.3.5, 18.4 before 18.4.3, and 18.5 before 18.5.1. Unauthenticated attackers can exploit specific API endpoints by uploading large files, causing resource exhaustion and service disruption.

MitigationUpgrade GitLab to version 18.3.5, 18.4.3, 18.5.1 or later. Consider rate limiting or blocking unauthenticated file upload API endpoints as a temporary measure 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:>= 11.7.0, < 18.3.5>= 18.4.0, < 18.4.3= 18.5.0

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
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/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. Determine installed GitLab version
    Run `sudo gitlab-rake gitlab:env:info` or view the version in the GitLab Admin Area under Help > Version
    Affected if Version is 11.7.0 through 18.3.4, 18.4.0 through 18.4.2, or exactly 18.5.0
  2. Check if unauthenticated API access is permitted
    Review GitLab settings in Admin Area > Settings > General > Visibility and access controls. Look for 'Una' in the field or check if projects allow unauthenticated access to repositories
    Affected if Projects or the API allow unauthenticated (public) access
  3. Identify exposed file upload API endpoints
    Test if unauthenticated POST requests to /api/v4/projects/:id/uploads are accepted without authentication tokens
    Affected if The API accepts file uploads without requiring authentication
  4. Verify external network exposure
    Review firewall or network ACL rules to determine if GitLab API endpoints are reachable from untrusted networks or the internet
    Affected if GitLab is accessible from unauthenticated external users

System is affected if GitLab version falls within the vulnerable ranges AND unauthenticated file upload API endpoints are exposed to attackers.

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 18.3.5 / 18.4.3 or later
Fixed in 18.3.518.4.3
Interim mitigation

Upgrade GitLab to version 18.3.5, 18.4.3, 18.5.1 or later. Consider rate limiting or blocking unauthenticated file upload API endpoints as a temporary measure while planning the upgrade.

Recommended fix High confidence

18.3.5, 18.4.3, or 18.5.1 (or later) depending on your branch

  1. Identify your current GitLab version using `sudo gitlab-rake gitlab:env:info`
  2. Backup your GitLab instance and database before upgrading
  3. For GitLab installations using Omnibus: run `sudo gitlab-ctl stop` to stop services
  4. Update your package repository and install the updated GitLab package
  5. For Omnibus: run `sudo gitlab-ctl restart` to apply the update
  6. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the version with `sudo gitlab-rake gitlab:env:info`
  7. Ensure all services are operational with `sudo gitlab-ctl status`
Caveat Review GitLab upgrade path documentation for major version jumps as some upgrades may require intermediate steps

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

Fix this in GitLab Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,640
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,224.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-11974 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2025-11974 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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