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GitLabApplication

CVE-2025-4979

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-05-22
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 17.10.7 / 17.11.3 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
An issue has been discovered in GitLab CE/EE affecting all versions before 17.10.7, 17.11 before 17.11.3, and 18.0 before 18.0.1. An attacker may be able to reveal masked or hidden CI variables (that they did not author) in the WebUI, by simply creating their own variable and observing the HTTP response.

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 Insecure Direct Object Reference (IDOR) vulnerability in GitLab's CI/CD variable handling within the WebUI. An authenticated attacker can reveal masked or hidden CI variables that they did not author by creating their own variable and observing the HTTP response, bypassing proper authorization checks on variable access.

MitigationUpgrade GitLab to version 17.10.7, 17.11.3, 18.0.1 or later. Prior to upgrading, restrict access to CI/CD variable settings and audit existing variable configurations for sensitive data exposure.

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:< 17.10.7>= 17.11.0, < 17.11.3= 18.0.0

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
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/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 GitLab version
    Run command: `sudo gitlab-rake gitlab:env:info` or check the GitLab admin area under /admin/about to find the exact installed version
    Affected if The installed version is < 17.10.7, OR >= 17.11.0 AND < 17.11.3, OR = 18.0.0
  2. Confirm CI/CD variables are in use
    Navigate to a project is CI/CD settings page (Project > Settings > CI/CD > Variables) or use API: `GET /api/v4/projects/:id/variables` with a project that has variables defined
    Affected if CI/CD variables exist in any project on the GitLab instance
  3. Review audit logs for variable access patterns
    Check GitLab audit logs at Project > Security > Audit Events or use the API: `GET /api/v4/projects/:id/audit_events` filtered for event_type 'variable_access' or similar variable-related events
    Affected if There are audit events showing variable access by users who did not create those variables, indicating potential exploitation
  4. Check for unauthorized variable creation attempts
    Review audit logs for sudden spikes in variable creation events, especially from users with limited permissions, and compare against expected variable authors
    Affected if Variable creation events exist where the creating user is not the expected project maintainer or owner

A GitLab instance is affected if it runs a version within the vulnerable ranges AND has CI/CD variables configured, with potential evidence of unauthorized variable access in audit logs.

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 17.10.7 / 17.11.3 or later
Fixed in 17.10.717.11.3
Interim mitigation

Upgrade GitLab to version 17.10.7, 17.11.3, 18.0.1 or later. Prior to upgrading, restrict access to CI/CD variable settings and audit existing variable configurations for sensitive data exposure.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

GitLab 17.10.7, 17.11.3, or 18.0.1 (recommended: 17.11.3 for 17.x line or 18.0.1 for 18.x line)

  1. Back up your GitLab instance database and repositories before starting the upgrade
  2. Schedule a maintenance window as GitLab upgrades typically require downtime
  3. Upgrade to GitLab 17.10.7, 17.11.3, or 18.0.1 (recommended: 17.11.3 or 18.0.1 for latest stable fixes)
  4. Run `sudo gitlab-ctl reconfigure` after upgrading the packages
  5. Verify the upgrade completed successfully by checking the GitLab version in the UI or via `sudo gitlab-rake gitlab:version`
  6. Test that CI/CD variables are properly protected and cannot be disclosed via the described method
Caveat Standard GitLab upgrade considerations apply - review release notes for any migration notes 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
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
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An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,560.

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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-2025-4979 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