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GitLabApplication

CVE-2025-11984

MEDIUM · 6.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-12-11
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 18.4.6 / 18.5.4 or later.
See remediation →
74/100
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 13.1 before 18.4.6, 18.5 before 18.5.4, and 18.6 before 18.6.2 that could have allowed an authenticated user to bypass WebAuthn two-factor authentication by manipulating the session state under certain conditions.

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 contained a vulnerability where an authenticated user could bypass WebAuthn two-factor authentication by manipulating session state under certain conditions. This allowed a logged-in user to potentially circumvent the 2FA protection mechanism that should be enforced after initial authentication.

MitigationUpgrade GitLab to version 18.4.6, 18.5.4, or 18.6.2 or later. Verify that WebAuthn 2FA enforcement is functioning correctly post-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:>= 13.1.0, < 18.4.6>= 18.5.0, < 18.5.4>= 18.6.0, < 18.6.2

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
High
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
None

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

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 check `/opt/gitlab/VERSION` file. Alternatively, visit Admin Area > Dashboard or use `gitlab-ctl version`.
    Affected if Version falls within: >= 13.1.0 and < 18.4.6, OR >= 18.5.0 and < 18.5.4, OR >= 18.6.0 and < 18.6.2
  2. Verify WebAuthn 2FA is configured
    Navigate to Admin Area > Settings > General > Sign-up restrictions. Under Two-factor authentication, check if WebAuthn is enabled as an authentication method. Alternatively, check user-level 2FA settings.
    Affected if WebAuthn two-factor authentication is enabled for the GitLab instance or specific users
  3. Check session configuration for WebAuthn bypass conditions
    Review GitLab session configuration in `/etc/gitlab/gitlab.rb` (gitlab_rails['session_expire_delay'] and related session settings). Examine if session state manipulation is possible by reviewing authentication logs for anomalous session behavior.
    Affected if Session configuration allows extended sessions without proper 2FA re-verification after initial login, and WebAuthn 2FA is in use

You are affected if your GitLab version is within the vulnerable ranges AND WebAuthn 2FA is enabled, allowing potential session state manipulation to bypass the second factor.

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 18.4.6 / 18.5.4 / 18.6.2 or later
Fixed in 18.4.618.5.418.6.2
Interim mitigation

Upgrade GitLab to version 18.4.6, 18.5.4, or 18.6.2 or later. Verify that WebAuthn 2FA enforcement is functioning correctly post-upgrade.

Recommended fix High confidence

18.6.2 (or later in the 18.x stable branch)

  1. 1. Back up your GitLab instance data and configuration before proceeding with the upgrade.
  2. 2. Identify your current GitLab version by navigating to the GitLab admin area or running `gitlab-rake gitlab:env:info`.
  3. 3. Plan your upgrade path based on your current version; for versions before 18.4, upgrade first to 18.4.6, then to 18.6.2 or later.
  4. 4. For GitLab installations using the official omnibus package, run: `sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install gitlab-ce=<version>` or `sudo yum install gitlab-ce-<version>` replacing `<version>` with 18.6.2.
  5. 5. For installations from source, follow the upgrade documentation at https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/update/ to upgrade to version 18.6.2.
  6. 6. After upgrade completion, run `sudo gitlab-ctl reconfigure` for omnibus installations.
  7. 7. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the GitLab version and ensuring the WebAuthn 2FA functionality works correctly.
  8. 8. Test that WebAuthn two-factor authentication cannot be bypassed by session state manipulation.
Caveat Minor version upgrades within 18.x typically do not introduce breaking changes; however, review the release notes for any deprecation notices.

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-2025-11984 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