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GitLabApplication

CVE-2025-13781

MEDIUM · 6.5 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 →
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 EE affecting all versions from 18.5 before 18.5.5, 18.6 before 18.6.3, and 18.7 before 18.7.1 that could have allowed an authenticated user to modify instance-wide AI feature provider settings by exploiting missing authorization checks in GraphQL mutations.

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 EE where GraphQL mutations lack proper permission checks, allowing any authenticated user to modify instance-wide AI feature provider settings. The issue stems from missing authorization controls on specific GraphQL API endpoints.

MitigationUpgrade GitLab to version 18.5.5, 18.6.3, 18.7.1 or later. As a temporary workaround, restrict GraphQL API access until patching is feasible.

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:>= 18.5.0, < 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
High
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/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. Confirm GitLab edition is Enterprise Edition (EE)
    Run `sudo gitlab-rake gitlab:env:info` or check the UI under Admin Area > Settings > General > GitLab configuration to verify the edition shows 'GitLab Enterprise Edition' rather than Community Edition.
    Affected if The instance is running GitLab Enterprise Edition (EE); this vulnerability does not affect Community Edition (CE).
  2. Check installed GitLab version against affected ranges
    Run `sudo gitlab-rake gitlab:git:version` or check the UI footer which displays the version number. Compare this to: 18.5.0 through 18.5.4, 18.6.0 through 18.6.2, or exactly 18.7.0.
    Affected if The installed version falls within any of these ranges: >= 18.5.0 and < 18.5.5, or >= 18.6.0 and < 18.6.3, or equals 18.7.0.
  3. Verify GraphQL API endpoint is accessible
    Attempt a GET request to the GraphQL endpoint at `/api/graphql` (e.g., curl -k https://your-gitlab-instance/api/graphql). Alternatively, check in Admin Area > Settings > API that the API is enabled.
    Affected if The GraphQL API is enabled and reachable over the network; the vulnerability exploits GraphQL mutations, so the API must be accessible for exploitation.
  4. Identify users with elevated access who could exploit this
    In the GitLab UI, go to Admin Area > Users and review which users have roles like Admin, Owner, or Maintainer. Any authenticated user with basic access to the instance could attempt the exploit.
    Affected if The instance has any authenticated users beyond just the instance administrator; the flaw allows any authenticated user to modify AI provider settings.

You are affected if running GitLab Enterprise Edition (EE) version 18.5.0-18.5.4, 18.6.0-18.6.2, or 18.7.0 with the GraphQL API accessible to authenticated users.

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 temporary workaround, restrict GraphQL API access until patching is feasible.

Recommended fix High confidence

18.5.5, 18.6.3, or 18.7.1 (depending on starting version)

  1. Identify current GitLab version by checking the GitLab administration interface or running `gitlab-rake gitlab:env:info`
  2. Determine which upgrade path applies based on current version (18.5.x -> 18.5.5, 18.6.x -> 18.6.3, or 18.7.0 -> 18.7.1)
  3. Follow standard GitLab upgrade procedure: backup the database and Git repository using `gitlab-backup create`
  4. Stop GitLab services with `gitlab-ctl stop`
  5. Update GitLab using package manager or direct upgrade (e.g., `apt-get update && apt-get install gitlab-ee` for Debian/Ubuntu, or `yum update gitlab-ee` for RHEL/CentOS)
  6. Reconfigure GitLab with `gitlab-ctl reconfigure`
  7. Start GitLab services with `gitlab-ctl start`
  8. Verify upgrade was successful by checking version with `gitlab-rake gitlab:env:info`

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
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
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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-2025-13781 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