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GitLabApplication

CVE-2025-6601

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-10-27
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 18.4.3 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 18.4 before 18.4.3, and 18.5 before 18.5.1 that under certain conditions could have allowed authenticated users to gain unauthorized project access by exploiting the access request approval workflow.

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 · moderate confidence

GitLab EE contains an authorization flaw in the access request approval workflow where authenticated users could exploit certain conditions to gain unauthorized access to projects they should not have access to. The vulnerability stems from improper validation during the access request approval process.

MitigationUpgrade GitLab EE to version 18.4.3 or 18.5.1 or later to remediate this vulnerability.

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:>= 18.4.0, < 18.4.3= 18.5.0

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. Determine installed GitLab version
    Access the GitLab Admin Area > Dashboard or use the API endpoint /api/v4/version to retrieve the running version number
    Affected if The installed version falls within >= 18.4.0, < 18.4.3 or equals 18.5.0
  2. Verify access request feature is enabled
    Navigate to Project Settings > Members > Invite members or check Group Settings > Members > Invite members for the 'Request access' option being enabled
    Affected if The access request feature is turned on for any project or group where the vulnerability could be exploited
  3. Identify projects with pending access requests
    Use the GitLab API (GET /projects/:id/access_requests) or check the Admin Area for projects with pending access requests that require approval
    Affected if There are pending access requests awaiting approval in affected versions
  4. Review approval workflow configurations
    Examine the project or group access request approval settings via Settings > Members or API endpoint /projects/:id/access_requests to see if approval is required
    Affected if The approval workflow is configured and users can submit access requests in affected versions

You are affected if your GitLab EE version is 18.4.0 through 18.4.2 or exactly 18.5.0 AND the access request feature is enabled with pending requests in your environment.

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 18.4.3 or later
Fixed in 18.4.3
Interim mitigation

Upgrade GitLab EE to version 18.4.3 or 18.5.1 or later to remediate this vulnerability.

Recommended fix High confidence

18.4.3 or 18.5.1 (depending on current version)

  1. 1. Identify the currently installed GitLab version using `sudo gitlab-rake gitlab:env:info` or checking the GitLab admin area
  2. 2. For GitLab 18.4.0 through 18.4.2: Plan upgrade to version 18.4.3
  3. 3. For GitLab 18.5.0: Plan upgrade to version 18.5.1
  4. 4. Back up the GitLab database and repositories before upgrading
  5. 5. Follow the official GitLab upgrade documentation for your deployment method (Omnibus or source)
  6. 6. After upgrade, verify the access request workflow functions correctly and no unauthorized access occurred
  7. 7. Review audit logs for any suspicious project access from the affected versions
Caveat Standard GitLab upgrade considerations apply - review release notes for any version-specific changes between your current 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
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,930
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,088.

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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-2025-6601 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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