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GitLabApplication

CVE-2025-9642

CRITICAL · 9.6 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-09-26
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 18.2.7 / 18.3.3 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges

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 from 14.10 before 18.2.7, 18.3 before 18.3.3, and 18.4 before 18.4.1 that could allow an attacker to inject malicious content that may lead to account takeover.

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

An injection vulnerability in GitLab CE/EE allows attackers to inject malicious content that can lead to account takeover. The flaw affects versions from 14.10 through the vulnerable ranges of 18.2, 18.3, and 18.4.

MitigationUpgrade GitLab to version 18.2.7 or later, 18.3.3 or later, or 18.4.1 or later to patch the injection vector and prevent account takeover.

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:>= 14.10.0, < 18.2.7>= 18.3.0, < 18.3.3= 18.4.0

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
Required
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/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. Check installed GitLab version via command line
    Run `gitlab-rake gitlab:env:info` or check the version file at `/opt/gitlab/version` ( Omnibus) or `cat /var/opt/gitlab/gitlab-rails/VERSION` (source installations)
    Affected if The displayed version falls within any of these ranges: 14.10.0 to 18.2.6, 18.3.0 to 18.3.2, or exactly 18.4.0
  2. Check installed GitLab version via web UI
    Log in as an administrator, go to the Admin Area (wrench icon), click on 'About GitLab' in the left sidebar
    Affected if The version shown matches any of the affected versions listed above (14.10.x, 18.2.x before 18.2.7, 18.3.x before 18.3.3, or 18.4.0)
  3. Check GitLab version via API
    Query the API endpoint `https://your-gitlab-instance/api/v4/version` using curl or similar, or use `curl --header "PRIVATE-TOKEN: your-token" https://your-gitlab-instance/api/v4/application/settings`
    Affected if The returned version field matches any of the vulnerable versions (14.10.x, 18.2.0-18.2.6, 18.3.0-18.3.2, or 18.4.0)

If your GitLab version is 14.10.0 or higher but below 18.2.7, OR 18.3.0-18.3.2, OR exactly 18.4.0, then your instance is affected by the injection vulnerability that could lead to account takeover.

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 18.2.7 / 18.3.3 or later
Fixed in 18.2.718.3.3
Interim mitigation

Upgrade GitLab to version 18.2.7 or later, 18.3.3 or later, or 18.4.1 or later to patch the injection vector and prevent account takeover.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to 18.4.1 (or 18.2.7/18.3.3 depending on your current branch - see security release notes)

  1. 1. Identify your current GitLab version by running `sudo gitlab-rake gitlab:env:info` or checking the GitLab admin area
  2. 2. Create a full backup of your GitLab instance using `sudo gitlab-backup-create`
  3. 3. Update your package repository and upgrade GitLab using the appropriate method for your installation (omnibus, source, or docker)
  4. 4. For omnibus installations: run `sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install gitlab-ce` (or `gitlab-ee`)
  5. 5. After upgrade, run `sudo gitlab-ctl reconfigure` and `sudo gitlab-ctl restart`
  6. 6. Verify the upgrade was successful and GitLab is functioning properly
  7. 7. Test that the XSS vulnerability is no longer present in the affected components
Caveat Review GitLab 18.4 release notes for any breaking changes and deprecations before upgrading, especially if skipping multiple minor versions

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
Get the upgrade done

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-2025-9642 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