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GitLabApplication

CVE-2025-2246

MEDIUM · 5.3 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-08-27
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 18.1.5 / 18.2.5 or later.
See remediation →
62/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
An issue has been discovered in GitLab CE/EE affecting all versions before 18.1.5, 18.2 before 18.2.5, and 18.3 before 18.3.1 that could have allowed unauthenticated users to access sensitive manual CI/CD variables by querying the GraphQL API.

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

A vulnerability in GitLab CE/EE allows unauthenticated users to query the GraphQL API and access sensitive manual CI/CD variables. This occurs due to insufficient authorization checks on GraphQL endpoints, enabling information disclosure of variables that may contain secrets, tokens, or other credentials.

MitigationUpgrade GitLab to version 18.1.5, 18.2.5, or 18.3.1 (or later) to remediate the unauthorized access to CI/CD variables.

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:< 18.1.5>= 18.2.0, < 18.2.5= 18.3.0

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/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. Identify the installed GitLab version
    Run `sudo gitlab-rake gitlab:env:info` or check the GitLab admin panel under Help > Version to determine the exact version running in your environment
    Affected if The installed version is < 18.1.5, OR >= 18.2.0 and < 18.2.5, OR exactly 18.3.0
  2. Confirm GraphQL API is network-accessible
    Verify that your GitLab instance GraphQL endpoint is reachable from untrusted networks. Check your firewall rules, load balancer configuration, or nginx reverse proxy settings that expose the GitLab web interface
    Affected if The GraphQL endpoint at /api/graphql is accessible from networks where unauthenticated users could send requests
  3. Check for manual CI/CD variables in projects
    Navigate to a project's Settings > CI/CD > Variables in the GitLab web UI, or use the API endpoint `GET /projects/:id/variables` with admin credentials to list configured variables
    Affected if Any manual CI/CD variables exist in any project, particularly those marked as 'Masked' or 'Protected' which may contain secrets
  4. Test unauthenticated GraphQL query access
    Send a GraphQL POST request without authentication headers to your GitLab instance: `curl -X POST https://your-gitlab/api/graphql -H 'Content-Type: application/json' -d '{"query":"{ project(fullPath: \"your-project\") { variables { nodes { key } } } }"}'`
    Affected if The request returns a successful response with variable data without providing any authentication token

Your environment is affected if you are running a vulnerable GitLab version (within the affected ranges) AND the GraphQL API is accessible to unauthenticated users AND you have manual CI/CD variables configured in any project.

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 18.1.5 / 18.2.5 or later
Fixed in 18.1.518.2.5
Interim mitigation

Upgrade GitLab to version 18.1.5, 18.2.5, or 18.3.1 (or later) to remediate the unauthorized access to CI/CD variables.

Recommended fix High confidence

18.3.1 (or later in the 18.x branch)

  1. 1. Back up your GitLab instance (database, repositories, and configuration files) before upgrading
  2. 2. Check your current GitLab version by running `gitlab-rake gitlab:env:info`
  3. 3. Update your GitLab package repository: `sudo apt-get update` or `sudo yum check-update` depending on your OS
  4. 4. Install the updated package: `sudo apt-get install gitlab-ce` (or `gitlab-ee` for Enterprise Edition)
  5. 5. Run `sudo gitlab-ctl reconfigure` to apply the configuration changes
  6. 6. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the version: `gitlab-rake gitlab:env:info`
  7. 7. Confirm the installed version is 18.1.5, 18.2.5, or 18.3.1 (or later)
Caveat Review GitLab 18.x release notes for any configuration or feature changes that may affect your instance

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 / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
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An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,800.

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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-2025-2246 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