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GitLab EE EUVDEUVD-2026-107676

| CVE-2026-16255 MEDIUM
Incorrect Authorization (CWE-863)
2026-10-21 GitLab GHSA-m22v-48hx-jv7m
5.9
CVSS 3.1 · Vendor: GitLab
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Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Access
    Authenticate as low-privilege GitLab user
  2. Exploit
    Identify membership request predating lock
  3. Execution
    Grant or accept membership outside IdP
  4. Impact
    Gain unauthorized project/group access

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A01:2025 - Broken Access Control
ASVS 5.0
V8 - Authorization Authorization logic validation
MITRE ATT&CK

1 technique across 1 tactic: Privilege Escalation

The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up.

Exploitation Conditions

Exploitation requires that the instance-wide SAML or LDAP membership lock feature is ENABLED on a GitLab EE instance (not Community Edition), and that a project/group membership request or invitation was created BEFORE that lock was enabled - the flaw is incomplete enforcement of the lock on pre-existing requests. The attacker must be an authenticated user (PR:L) with a relevant pending membership action. Limiting factors: this does not affect default/CE installs, does not work against requests created after the lock is active, needs no user interaction but is state-dependent (hence CVSS AC:H), and confers unauthorized project/group membership rather than full administrative takeover.

Impact

This is a genuine but moderate-priority authorization flaw, not a drop-everything emergency. The provided CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:N, base 5.9) is internally consistent with the description: network-reachable (AV:N), requires an authenticated low-privilege user (PR:L), needs no victim interaction (UI:N), but carries high attack complexity (AC:H) because exploitation only works against project/group membership requests that were created BEFORE the instance-wide SAML/LDAP membership lock was enabled - a narrow, timing/state-dependent precondition rather than a repeatable condition on default installs. POC/exploit code is publicly referenced (HackerOne #3809350), so exploitability is demonstrated, but there is no CISA KEV entry and no EPSS score supplied, meaning there is no evidence of active or widespread exploitation. The high-confidence signals (vendor-reported by GitLab, patched across maintained branches, public POC) point to a credible, bounded insider/low-privilege escalation rather than a mass-exploited internet threat. Net: real and worth patching on normal cadence for affected EE instances that actually use membership lock, but the AC:H precondition and absence of KEV/EPSS argue against treating it as a high-urgency widespread risk. Note the signals are not conflicting - they consistently describe a conditional, authenticated-only issue.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

On a GitLab EE instance where instance-wide SAML or LDAP membership lock is enabled to centralize access through the identity provider, an authenticated low-privilege user who had a pending project or group membership request (or invite) created before the lock took effect grants or accepts that membership, bypassing the IdP's control over group/project access. A public exploit write-up exists (HackerOne #3809350), demonstrating the bypass, though the pre-lock request precondition limits reliable reproduction.

This Month Plan within 30 days. Why: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9).
Patch available 0.2% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Oct 22, 2026

An authorization bypass in GitLab Enterprise Edition (versions 12.0 through 19.3.5, 19.4.0-19.4.2, and 19.5.0) lets an authenticated user grant or accept project and group membership outside identity provider control when the instance-wide SAML or LDAP membership lock is enabled. The flaw stems from incomplete enforcement of the membership lock against membership requests or invitations that were created before the lock was turned on, so it is state-dependent: it does not affect Community Edition or default installs, and it does not work against requests created after the lock is active. Publicly available exploit code and a HackerOne report exist, but there is no CISA KEV confirmation of active exploitation; it yields unauthorized project/group membership rather than administrative takeover.

RemediationAI

Vendor-released patch: upgrade GitLab EE to 19.3.6, 19.4.3, or 19.5.1 (or later) per the patch release notes at https://docs.gitlab.com/releases/patches/patch-release-gitlab-19-5-1-released/. Because exploitation depends on pending memberships created before the SAML/LDAP membership lock was enabled, administrators who cannot patch immediately should audit and revoke outstanding project and group invitations and membership requests that predate the lock (GitLab admin/group member and invitation views), then re-issue only those authorized by the identity provider - a manual, ongoing process that must be repeated as new pre-lock requests surface and does not fix the underlying enforcement gap. Restricting the ability to create invitations or request membership to trusted roles, or temporarily disabling new invitations pending upgrade, reduces exposure but adds administrative overhead and can disrupt legitimate onboarding. Do not rely on Community Edition or re-enabling the lock alone: the flaw is specifically the failure to apply the lock to pre-existing requests. Review the HackerOne report (https://hackerone.com/reports/3809350) and tracking work item (https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/work_items/606479) for indicators of abuse.

Affected VersionsENISA

GitLab 19.5 <19.5.1
GitLab 12.0 <19.3.6
GitLab 19.4 <19.4.3

Affected Packages

euvd gitlab fix: 19.3.6, 19.4.3, 19.5.1

Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)

Affects your stack

Affects 1 package in euvd

Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.

Technical ContextAI · show details

CWE-863 (Incorrect Authorization) in GitLab EE's SAML/LDAP group sync and membership-lock logic. When an administrator enables the instance-wide SAML or LDAP membership lock, GitLab is supposed to reject all membership invitations and requests that did not originate from the identity provider. The remediation was incomplete: pending project or group membership requests and invites created before the lock was enabled are not re-validated against the lock, so an authenticated user can still act on them. The CVSS:3.1:AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:N vector reflects network-reachable, authenticated (PR:L) exploitation that requires a specific pre-existing state (AC:H), affecting confidentiality highly and integrity only partially - consistent with unauthorized membership exposure rather than full control. No user interaction is needed, and the scope is unchanged. CPE cpe:2.3:a:gitlab:gitlab:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* covers the broad affected range across GitLab EE 12.0 through 19.5.0.

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Severity by source

Vendor (GitLab) PRIMARY 5.9 MEDIUM
AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:N
vuln.today AI 5.9 MEDIUM

Authenticated user (PR:L) exploits network-reachable GitLab (AV:N); narrow pre-lock-request precondition gives AC:H; unauthorized membership exposes repos (C:H) and alters membership (I:L).

3.1 AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:N
4.0 AV:N/AC:H/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:L/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Primary rating from Vendor (GitLab).

CVSS VectorVendor: GitLab

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
High
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

Lifecycle Timeline

2
Patch available
Oct 22, 2026 - 05:16 EUVD
CVE Published
Oct 21, 2026 - 23:35 cve.org
MEDIUM 5.9

DescriptionCVE.org

GitLab has remediated an issue in GitLab EE affecting all versions from 12.0 before 19.3.6, 19.4 before 19.4.3, and 19.5 before 19.5.1 that, when the instance-wide SAML or LDAP membership lock was enabled, an authenticated user could have granted or accepted project and group membership outside the identity provider's control, due to incomplete enforcement of the membership lock on requests created before the lock was enabled.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.2%
Top 89% exploitable
Prevalence
High
GitLab EE is widely deployed enterprise DevOps/SCM software across organizations
Exploit
POC
Public exploit code exists
Data Quality
4 sources
Confidence: Medium

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue
Severity MEDIUM
CISA KEV No
Public POC Yes
EPSS 0.2%
Patch available Yes
Active threat No
Deciding rule
MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision· derived
Scheduled
Exploitation· derived
Poc
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable· derived
No
Human Impact· derived
High

Priority Score

50
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +30
PoC: +20
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

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