CVE-2024-4207: Cross-Site Scripting Vulnerability Discovered in GitLab

A recent vulnerability, CVE-2024-4207, has been discovered in GitLab, which exposes the software to cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks. GitLab is a popular web-based DevOps lifecycle tool that provides GIT repository management, issue tracking, continuous integration and deployment pipeline features, and more.

GitLab 17.2 prior to 17.2.2

This vulnerability is specifically triggered when viewing an XML file in a repository in raw mode under certain conditions, causing the XML file to render as HTML.

Exploit Details

This particular XSS vulnerability allows an attacker to inject malicious scripts into the affected GitLab instances. Specifically, when viewing an XML file in raw mode, the application may fail to properly sanitize user-supplied input, which allows an attacker to execute arbitrary HTML or script code in a user's browser.

Assuming there's an XML file named "example.xml" in a GitLab repository with the following content

<root>
  <![CDATA[<script>alert('XSS');</script>]]>
</root>

When viewing the XML file in raw mode (e.g., https://gitlab.example.com/user/repo/raw/branch/test/example.xml), it is possible that the file renders as HTML, under specific circumstances, instead of just presenting the raw content. This could cause the JavaScript code within the CDATA section to execute, displaying a JavaScript alert with the message "XSS".

To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker would need to craft a malicious XML file with their desired payload and share the link with the target user.

For more details and information, read the original disclosure on GitLab's website

- GitLab Security Advisory

Mitigation & Solution

To address this security issue, users of the affected GitLab versions should update their instance to the latest patched version:

Follow the official documentation available at the GitLab website to upgrade your GitLab instance

- Upgrading GitLab

Conclusion

Keeping software up to date and staying aware of the latest vulnerabilities is crucial for maintaining a secure environment. Users are encouraged to follow best practices such as regular patching and performing security assessments to minimize potential security risks.

Timeline

Published on: 08/08/2024 11:15:13 UTC
Last modified on: 08/08/2024 13:04:18 UTC