CVE-2024-7102: GitLab Auth Bypass Vulnerability

CVE-2024-7102 Overview

An authorization bypass vulnerability was discovered in GitLab Community Edition (CE) and Enterprise Edition (EE) affecting all versions starting from 16.4 prior to 17.5.0. This vulnerability allows an attacker to trigger a pipeline as another user under certain circumstances, potentially leading to unauthorized code execution within CI/CD workflows and supply chain compromise.

Critical Impact

Attackers can impersonate other users to trigger CI/CD pipelines, potentially executing malicious code with elevated privileges or accessing sensitive deployment environments.

Affected Products

• GitLab Community Edition (CE) versions 16.4 to prior to 17.5.0
• GitLab Enterprise Edition (EE) versions 16.4 to prior to 17.5.0

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-02-13 - CVE-2024-7102 published to NVD
• 2025-08-06 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-7102

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-250 (Execution with Unnecessary Privileges), indicating a flaw in how GitLab handles authorization checks when pipelines are triggered. The issue allows an attacker to bypass proper identity verification and execute pipelines under the context of another user's permissions.

The attack can be performed remotely over the network without requiring authentication, and while the attack complexity is low, it specifically targets the integrity of the CI/CD pipeline system. The vulnerability does not directly lead to data exfiltration or service disruption, but the ability to execute pipelines as another user presents significant risks to software supply chain integrity.

In GitLab environments, CI/CD pipelines often have access to deployment credentials, production environments, and sensitive secrets stored in CI/CD variables. An attacker exploiting this vulnerability could potentially deploy malicious code to production systems, access protected deployment environments, or exfiltrate secrets accessible to the impersonated user.

Root Cause

The root cause stems from insufficient authorization validation in GitLab's pipeline triggering mechanism. Under certain conditions, the system fails to properly verify that the user initiating a pipeline trigger request is actually authorized to act on behalf of the target user identity. This execution with unnecessary privileges allows attackers to bypass normal access controls.

Attack Vector

The vulnerability is exploitable via network-based attacks. An attacker with knowledge of the target GitLab instance and understanding of the specific conditions required to trigger the vulnerability can craft requests that cause pipelines to execute under another user's context.

The attack leverages weaknesses in the authorization flow:

1. The attacker identifies a target user with elevated pipeline permissions or access to sensitive environments
2. Under specific circumstances (detailed in the GitLab security issue), the attacker crafts a pipeline trigger request
3. The request bypasses proper user identity verification
4. The pipeline executes with the permissions of the target user rather than the attacker

For technical details on the specific exploitation mechanism, refer to the GitLab Issue #474414 and the HackerOne Report #2623063.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-7102

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected pipeline executions attributed to users who did not initiate them
• Discrepancies between pipeline trigger logs and user activity records
• Pipeline executions originating from unexpected IP addresses or sessions
• Unauthorized deployments or CI/CD job executions in protected environments

Detection Strategies

• Audit GitLab pipeline execution logs for pipelines triggered by users during inactive periods
• Correlate pipeline trigger events with authentication logs to identify mismatches
• Monitor for pipelines accessing sensitive CI/CD variables or protected environments from unusual sources
• Implement alerting on pipeline executions by privileged users that lack corresponding UI or API interaction

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable detailed audit logging for all CI/CD pipeline activities in GitLab
• Configure SIEM alerts for anomalous pipeline trigger patterns
• Review pipeline execution history regularly for signs of user impersonation
• Monitor deployment activities for unauthorized changes to production environments

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-7102

Immediate Actions Required

• Upgrade GitLab CE/EE to version 17.5.0 or later immediately
• Audit recent pipeline executions for signs of unauthorized user impersonation
• Review CI/CD variable access and protected environment configurations
• Rotate any secrets or credentials that may have been exposed through compromised pipelines

Patch Information

GitLab has addressed this vulnerability in version 17.5.0. Organizations running affected versions (16.4 through versions prior to 17.5.0) should upgrade immediately. The fix implements proper authorization validation in the pipeline triggering mechanism to ensure users cannot execute pipelines under another user's context.

For detailed patch information, consult the GitLab Issue #474414.

Workarounds

• Restrict pipeline trigger permissions to essential users only
• Implement strict protected branch rules requiring additional approvals
• Disable pipeline triggering via API for sensitive projects until patched
• Enable mandatory merge request approvals for all pipeline-affecting changes

# Review recent pipeline triggers in GitLab Rails console
# Access the Rails console on your GitLab server
gitlab-rails console

# Query for recent pipeline executions and their triggers
Ci::Pipeline.where('created_at > ?', 7.days.ago).select(:id, :user_id, :source, :created_at).each do |p|
  puts "Pipeline #{p.id}: User #{p.user_id}, Source: #{p.source}, Created: #{p.created_at}"
end