GitLab Identifies Security Vulnerabilities Enabling Attacker Logins as Valid Users

GitLab announced the release of versions 17.9.2, 17.8.5, and 17.7.7 for both its Community Edition (CE) and Enterprise Edition (EE).

These updates include crucial bug and security fixes, urging all self-managed installations to upgrade promptly to protect against several critical vulnerabilities.

Impact of the Vulnerabilities

Two significant security issues identified in third-party gems used by GitLab have been highlighted:

1. CVE-2025-25291 & CVE-2025-25292 – These vulnerabilities are found in the ruby-saml library, which GitLab uses for SAML Single Sign-On (SSO) authentication. If exploited, an attacker could potentially authenticate as another valid user if they possess a valid signed SAML document from the Identity Provider (IdP). These vulnerabilities have been remediated in versions 17.7.7, 17.8.5, and 17.9.2.
2. CVE-2025-27407 – This high-severity issue affects the graphql Ruby library and involves the potential for remote code execution if an attacker controls an authenticated user account. The vulnerability is linked to the Direct Transfer feature, which is in beta and disabled by default for self-managed instances.

GitLab strongly advises all affected installations to upgrade to the latest versions as soon as possible to ensure security. For those unable to upgrade immediately, several mitigation steps are recommended:

For CVE-2025-25291 & CVE-2025-25292:

• Enable GitLab two-factor authentication for all user accounts.
• Disable the SAML two-factor bypass option.
• Require admin approval for automatically created new users.

For CVE-2025-27407:

• If enabled, disable the Direct Transfer feature to eliminate the risk of exploitation.

Affected Products Table

Affected Product	CVEs	Severity	Mitigation Steps
GitLab CE & EE	CVE-2025-27407	Critical	Enable 2FA, disable SAML 2FA bypass, require admin approval for new users.
GitLab CE & EE	CVE-2025-27407	High	Disable Direct Transfer if enabled.

As part of maintaining robust security standards, GitLab emphasizes the importance of regular updates and security best practices for all installations.

Users are encouraged to stay vigilant and proactive in securing their environments against evolving threats.

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