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GitLabApplication

CVE-2025-13928

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-01-22
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 18.6.4 / 18.7.2 or later.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable No privileges 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 17.7 before 18.6.4, 18.7 before 18.7.2, and 18.8 before 18.8.2 that could have allowed an unauthenticated user to cause a denial of service condition by exploiting incorrect authorization validation in 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

An improper authorization validation vulnerability in GitLab CE/EE API endpoints allows unauthenticated users to trigger a denial of service condition. The flaw exists in specific versions from 17.7 through 18.8 where API endpoint authorization checks are incorrectly implemented, permitting unauthenticated attackers to cause service disruption.

MitigationUpgrade GitLab to version 18.6.4 or later, 18.7.2 or later, or 18.8.2 or later to remediate the authorization validation issue in the API endpoints.

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:>= 17.7.0, < 18.6.4>= 18.7.0, < 18.7.2>= 18.8.0, < 18.8.2

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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 `gitlab-rake gitlab:env:info` or check `/opt/gitlab/version` (Omnibus) or `git --version` for source installations. For package installations, use `dpkg -l | grep gitlab` or `rpm -q gitlab-ce` or `gitlab-ee`.
    Affected if Version falls within any of these ranges: >= 17.7.0 and < 18.6.4; >= 18.7.0 and < 18.7.2; >= 18.8.0 and < 18.8.2
  2. Verify API endpoint exposure
    Determine if GitLab API endpoints are network-accessible. Check firewall rules, reverse proxy configuration, or cloud security groups allowing inbound access to ports 80/443 or the GitLab API port.
    Affected if API endpoints are exposed to unauthenticated network access (not behind VPN or authentication proxy)
  3. Confirm unauthenticated API access is possible
    Attempt a simple unauthenticated API request: `curl -s https://YOUR_GITLAB/api/v4/version` (replace with your GitLab URL). A successful response without authentication indicates the API is accessible.
    Affected if The API returns a valid JSON response without requiring authentication credentials

You are affected if your GitLab version is 17.7.0 through 18.6.3, 18.7.0 through 18.7.1, or 18.8.0 through 18.8.1 AND your API endpoints are accessible to unauthenticated 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 18.6.4 / 18.7.2 / 18.8.2 or later
Fixed in 18.6.418.7.218.8.2
Interim mitigation

Upgrade GitLab to version 18.6.4 or later, 18.7.2 or later, or 18.8.2 or later to remediate the authorization validation issue in the API endpoints.

Recommended fix High confidence

18.6.4, 18.7.2, or 18.8.2 (or later in respective branches)

  1. Backup your GitLab instance data and configuration before upgrading
  2. Review the GitLab upgrade documentation for your installation method (omnibus, source, etc.)
  3. Ensure your system meets the requirements for the target version
  4. For GitLab Omnibus: run 'sudo gitlab-ctl stop' to stop services
  5. Upgrade to version 18.6.4, 18.7.2, or 18.8.2 (or later in any of these branches) using your package manager or source method
  6. For GitLab Omnibus: run 'sudo gitlab-ctl restart' after upgrade
  7. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking GitLab version and functionality
  8. Confirm the vulnerability is remediated by testing API endpoint authorization
Caveat Review GitLab release notes for any breaking changes between your current and 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
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,040
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,664.

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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-2025-13928 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