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GitLabApplication

CVE-2025-13690

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-03-11
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 18.7.6 / 18.8.6 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 16.11 before 18.7.6, 18.8 before 18.8.6, and 18.9 before 18.9.2 that could have allowed an authenticated user to cause a denial of service condition due to improper input validation on webhook custom header names 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 · moderate confidence

GitLab CE/EE versions prior to 18.7.6, 18.8.6, and 18.9.2 contain an improper input validation vulnerability in the webhook custom header name field. An authenticated user can submit specially crafted webhook header names that trigger a denial of service condition, likely through resource exhaustion or application crash.

MitigationUpgrade GitLab to version 18.7.6, 18.8.6, 18.9.2 or later. Prior to upgrading, review webhook configurations and consider restricting webhook creation permissions to trusted users.

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:>= 16.11.0, < 18.7.6>= 18.8.0, < 18.8.6>= 18.9.0, < 18.9.2

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
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 your installed GitLab version
    Run `sudo gitlab-rake gitlab:env:info` or check `/opt/gitlab/version` for Omnibus installations, or `cat /opt/gitlab/embedded/service/gitlab-rails/VERSION` for source installations
    Affected if The installed version falls within any of these ranges: >= 16.11.0 and < 18.7.6, OR >= 18.8.0 and < 18.8.6, OR >= 18.9.0 and < 18.9.2
  2. Identify webhooks with custom headers configured
    As an administrator, navigate to Admin Area > Webhooks, or use the API endpoint `/api/v4/webhooks` with admin credentials to list all webhooks
    Affected if Any webhooks exist that include custom HTTP header name and value pairs defined
  3. Review webhook custom header values
    Inspect each webhook configuration to examine the custom header names defined in the Headers field. Check for unusually long strings or patterns that may indicate malformed input
    Affected if Any webhook contains custom header names that are excessively long or appear malformed, as this may indicate exploitation attempts or vulnerable input handling
  4. Verify authentication requirements
    Confirm that the GitLab instance requires user authentication for webhook creation by checking project and group settings under Settings > Webhooks
    Affected if Unauthenticated users can create webhooks (though the CVE states authenticated users are required, verify your access controls)

You are affected if your GitLab version is within the vulnerable ranges AND webhooks with custom headers are configured in your environment.

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 18.7.6 / 18.8.6 / 18.9.2 or later
Fixed in 18.7.618.8.618.9.2
Interim mitigation

Upgrade GitLab to version 18.7.6, 18.8.6, 18.9.2 or later. Prior to upgrading, review webhook configurations and consider restricting webhook creation permissions to trusted users.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to 18.7.6, 18.8.6, or 18.9.2 (whichever corresponds to your current branch); preferably 18.9.2 as the latest stable fix

  1. Identify the currently installed GitLab version using `gitlab-rake gitlab:env:info` or checking the GitLab admin area
  2. Determine which upgrade path applies based on current version: if >=16.11.0 and <18.7, upgrade to 18.7.6; if >=18.8.0 and <18.8.6, upgrade to 18.8.6; if >=18.9.0 and <18.9.2, upgrade to 18.9.2
  3. Create a full backup of the GitLab instance using `gitlab-backup-create` or the omnibus backup tool
  4. Stop GitLab services using `gitlab-ctl stop`
  5. Update the GitLab package using the appropriate method for your installation: for omnibus installations, run `apt-get update && apt-get install gitlab-ce` (or `gitlab-ee`) or `yum install gitlab-ce`; for source installations, pull the specific tag from the GitLab repository
  6. Reconfigure GitLab using `gitlab-ctl reconfigure`
  7. Restart GitLab services using `gitlab-ctl start`
  8. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the version at Admin Area > Monitoring > Version or via `gitlab-rake gitlab:env:info`
Caveat Major GitLab upgrades between major versions (e.g., 16.x to 18.x) may require database migrations and can have breaking changes; review the GitLab release notes for your 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
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,900
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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-2025-13690 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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