GitLabApplication
CVE-2025-11989
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 · uneditedGitLab has remediated an issue in GitLab EE affecting all versions from 17.6.0 before 18.3.5, 18.4 before 18.4.3, and 18.5 before 18.5.1 that could have allowed an authenticated attacker to execute unauthorized quick actions by including malicious commands in specific descriptions.
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 confidenceGitLab EE versions 17.6.0 through 18.5.x before stated patches contained an authorization bypass where authenticated attackers could execute unauthorized quick actions by embedding malicious commands in specific description fields. Quick actions are parsed text shortcuts (like /assign, /close) that get executed server-side, and this vulnerability allowed bypassing authorization checks on these commands.
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
>= 17.6.0, < 18.3.5>= 18.4.0, < 18.4.3= 18.5.0CVSS 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
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify GitLab EE versionRun `sudo gitlab-rake gitlab:version` or check the Admin Area > Settings > Metrics and profiling > Version on self-managed instances. For GitLab.com, version is visible in the footer.Affected if Version falls within 17.6.0 through 18.3.4, or 18.4.0 through 18.4.2, or equals 18.5.0
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Confirm GitLab edition is EEThe vulnerability affects GitLab Enterprise Edition (EE) only. Check the edition using `sudo gitlab-rake gitlab:env:info` or the Admin Area dashboard.Affected if Edition is Enterprise Edition (EE) and version matches the vulnerable ranges above
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Verify quick actions feature is activeQuick actions are enabled by default in GitLab. No explicit configuration check is required unless explicitly disabled via `gitlab_rails['gitlab_quick_actions_enabled'] = false` in gitlab.rb.Affected if Quick actions are enabled (default) and version is vulnerable
A self-managed GitLab EE instance is affected if it runs version 17.6.0-18.3.4, 18.4.0-18.4.2, or 18.5.0 with quick actions enabled.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 · scoped18.3.518.4.3
Upgrade GitLab EE to version 18.3.5, 18.4.3, 18.5.1 or later. For GitLab.com users, the fix is already deployed. Self-managed instances require applying the patch.
18.3.5, 18.4.3, or 18.5.1 (depending on your current version branch)
- Identify your current GitLab version by running `gitlab-rake gitlab:env:info` or checking the GitLab admin area
- Determine which upgrade path applies based on your current version: if running 17.6.0 through 18.3.4, upgrade to 18.3.5 or later; if running 18.4.0 through 18.4.2, upgrade to 18.4.3 or later; if running 18.5.0, upgrade to 18.5.1 or later
- Follow the official GitLab upgrade documentation for your installation method (omnibus, source, or helm chart)
- Back up your GitLab database and repositories before upgrading
- Run the upgrade following GitLab's standard upgrade procedure
- After upgrade, verify GitLab is functioning correctly and test that quick actions work as expected
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
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,328.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-11989 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-11989 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- 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