CVE-2025-2498 Overview
CVE-2025-2498 is an improper access control vulnerability in GitLab Enterprise Edition (EE). The flaw affects all versions from 12.0 prior to 18.0.6, 18.1 prior to 18.1.4, and 18.2 prior to 18.2.2. Under specific conditions, authenticated users could view assigned issues from restricted groups by bypassing configured IP restrictions. The vulnerability is tracked under [CWE-1220: Insufficient Granularity of Access Control].
Critical Impact
Authenticated users can view issue content from IP-restricted groups they are assigned to, bypassing network-level access controls intended to enforce zero-trust boundaries around sensitive project data.
Affected Products
- GitLab Enterprise Edition versions 12.0 through 18.0.5
- GitLab Enterprise Edition versions 18.1 through 18.1.3
- GitLab Enterprise Edition versions 18.2 through 18.2.1
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-08-13 - CVE-2025-2498 published to NVD
- 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-2498
Vulnerability Analysis
The vulnerability resides in GitLab EE's IP allowlist enforcement for group-level access control. GitLab EE allows administrators to restrict group access to specified IP address ranges. This control is intended to block all interaction with group resources, including issues, from outside the allowed network perimeter.
The access control check failed to consistently evaluate IP restrictions when a user requested issues assigned to them. Users who were legitimately assigned to issues within an IP-restricted group could enumerate and read those issues from IP addresses outside the allowlist. The exposure is limited to issue content and metadata visible to the assignee.
The flaw is authenticated and does not require elevated privileges. It requires the attacker to already hold an assignee relationship to issues in a restricted group.
Root Cause
The root cause is an incomplete authorization check in the issue retrieval path. The IP restriction policy was enforced at the group navigation and standard issue listing layers but not on the assigned-issues query path. This inconsistency represents insufficient granularity of access control, matching the [CWE-1220] classification.
Attack Vector
An authenticated user with an existing assignee association queries their assigned issues from a network location outside the group's configured IP allowlist. The application returns the restricted issue data instead of denying the request. No specialized tooling, payload crafting, or privilege escalation is required. See the GitLab Issue #525515 and HackerOne Report #3037722 for coordinated disclosure details.
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Stop Identity AttacksDetection Methods for CVE-2025-2498
Indicators of Compromise
- Access logs showing authenticated API or web requests to assigned-issues endpoints from source IP addresses outside configured group IP allowlists.
- Successful HTTP 200 responses to /dashboard/issues or /api/v4/issues?scope=assigned_to_me requests originating from disallowed networks.
- Authentication events for users associated with IP-restricted groups from geolocations inconsistent with normal access patterns.
Detection Strategies
- Correlate GitLab audit events with group IP restriction policies to flag issue reads from unauthorized source ranges.
- Baseline user access locations per group and alert on deviations for members of IP-restricted groups.
- Review API request logs for scope=assigned_to_me queries against restricted groups from non-allowlisted IPs.
Monitoring Recommendations
- Forward GitLab production and audit logs to a centralized SIEM with source IP enrichment.
- Enable GitLab audit events for group access and issue read operations on projects with sensitive data classifications.
- Track and alert on any Enterprise Edition instances still running versions below the fixed releases.
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-2498
Immediate Actions Required
- Upgrade GitLab Enterprise Edition to version 18.0.6, 18.1.4, or 18.2.2 depending on the current release track.
- Audit membership and assignee relationships in IP-restricted groups to identify users who may have accessed data from outside allowed networks.
- Review historical access logs for issue reads originating from IP addresses outside configured group allowlists.
Patch Information
GitLab addressed the vulnerability in Enterprise Edition versions 18.0.6, 18.1.4, and 18.2.2. Administrators running self-managed GitLab EE should apply the corresponding patched release for their upgrade path. GitLab.com hosted instances receive patches directly from GitLab. Refer to GitLab Issue #525515 for the vendor tracking record.
Workarounds
- Where immediate patching is not feasible, remove assignee associations for users who authenticate from outside the group's IP allowlist until upgrade is complete.
- Enforce IP restrictions at a network perimeter layer such as a reverse proxy or WAF that blocks GitLab traffic from unauthorized source ranges independent of application logic.
- Restrict use of personal access tokens and session cookies to trusted networks using conditional access controls on the identity provider.
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
