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GitLabApplication

CVE-2025-3525

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-02-25
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 18.7.5 / 18.8.5 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 9.0 before 18.7.5, 18.8 before 18.8.5, and 18.9 before 18.9.1 that could have, under certain circumstances, allowed an authenticated user with certain access to cause Denial of Service by creating specially crafted CI triggers via the 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

GitLab CE/EE versions 9.0 before 18.7.5, 18.8 before 18.8.5, and 18.9 before 18.9.1 contain a vulnerability where an authenticated user with certain access can cause Denial of Service by creating specially crafted CI triggers via the API. The flaw allows malicious manipulation of CI pipeline triggers to exhaust resources.

MitigationUpgrade GitLab to version 18.7.5, 18.8.5, 18.9.1 or later. Alternatively, restrict API access to CI trigger functionality until the upgrade can be performed.

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:>= 9.0.0, < 18.7.5>= 18.8.0, < 18.8.5= 18.9.0

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
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 installed GitLab version
    Run `gitlab-rake gitlab:env:info` or check the GitLab admin dashboard under Help > Version. Alternatively, query the API endpoint `/api/v4/version` if the API is accessible.
    Affected if Version is 9.0.0 to 18.7.4, 18.8.0 to 18.8.4, or 18.9.0
  2. Verify API access to CI trigger endpoints
    Confirm the GitLab API is enabled and accessible. Check if endpoints under `/api/v4/projects/:id/triggers` respond. This can be tested with an authenticated API request using a personal access token.
    Affected if API is enabled and responds to CI trigger-related requests
  3. Identify users with CI trigger creation permissions
    Review project and group membership settings to determine which authenticated users have the ability to create or modify CI pipeline triggers via the API. Check project CI/CD settings and role permissions.
    Affected if Authenticated users with trigger creation access exist in the environment

You are affected if your GitLab version falls within 9.0.0 to 18.7.4, 18.8.0 to 18.8.4, or 18.9.0 AND the API with CI trigger functionality is 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 18.7.5 / 18.8.5 or later
Fixed in 18.7.518.8.5
Interim mitigation

Upgrade GitLab to version 18.7.5, 18.8.5, 18.9.1 or later. Alternatively, restrict API access to CI trigger functionality until the upgrade can be performed.

Recommended fix High confidence

18.9.1 or later (or 18.8.5 for 18.8.x line, 18.7.5 for 18.7.x line)

  1. 1. Back up your GitLab instance database and configuration files
  2. 2. Review the GitLab upgrade documentation for your current version at https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/update/
  3. 3. For Debian/Ubuntu: Run 'sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install gitlab-ce' (or 'gitlab-ee')
  4. 4. For RHEL/CentOS: Run 'sudo yum install gitlab-ce' (or 'gitlab-ee')
  5. 5. Run 'sudo gitlab-ctl reconfigure' after installation
  6. 6. Verify the upgrade by checking GitLab version at /admin/about
  7. 7. Test CI trigger functionality to confirm normal operation
Caveat Major version upgrades may require database migrations; review release notes for breaking changes between your current version and target version

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in GitLab Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
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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-2025-3525 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