CVE-2019-18455 : What You Need to Know

GitLab's Community and Enterprise Edition versions 11 through 12.4 are affected by a vulnerability related to constructing Nested GraphQL queries.

Understanding CVE-2019-18455

This CVE identifies an issue in GitLab versions 11 through 12.4 that can lead to a large or infinite loop when building Nested GraphQL queries.

What is CVE-2019-18455?

The vulnerability in GitLab's Community and Enterprise Edition versions 11 through 12.4 arises during the construction of Nested GraphQL queries, potentially resulting in a loop that can be large or infinite.

The Impact of CVE-2019-18455

The vulnerability could be exploited by an attacker to cause denial of service or potentially execute arbitrary code on the affected systems.

Technical Details of CVE-2019-18455

GitLab's vulnerability has the following technical details:

Vulnerability Description

The issue occurs in versions 11 through 12.4 of GitLab's Community and Enterprise Edition when constructing Nested GraphQL queries, leading to a loop that may become large or infinite.

Affected Systems and Versions

Affected Systems: GitLab Community and Enterprise Edition versions 11 through 12.4
Affected Versions: 11 through 12.4

Exploitation Mechanism

The vulnerability can be exploited by crafting malicious Nested GraphQL queries to trigger the loop, potentially causing a denial of service or arbitrary code execution.

Mitigation and Prevention

To address CVE-2019-18455, consider the following mitigation steps:

Immediate Steps to Take

Update GitLab to a patched version that addresses the vulnerability.
Monitor for any unusual activity on the system that could indicate exploitation of the vulnerability.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update GitLab and other software to the latest versions to prevent known vulnerabilities.
Implement strict input validation mechanisms to prevent malicious input from triggering vulnerabilities.

Patching and Updates

Apply the security patches provided by GitLab promptly to mitigate the vulnerability and enhance system security.