CVE-2019-6795 : What You Need to Know

A vulnerability was found in GitLab Community and Enterprise Edition prior to versions 11.5.8, 11.6.x before 11.6.6, and 11.7.x before 11.7.1. This flaw involves a lack of clear distinction between visually similar characters that can be exploited for social engineering purposes. IDN homographs and RTLO characters are converted to Unicode, allowing them to deceive users.

Understanding CVE-2019-6795

This CVE identifies a security issue in GitLab versions prior to 11.5.8, 11.6.6, and 11.7.1, where visually similar characters can be used for social engineering attacks.

What is CVE-2019-6795?

CVE-2019-6795 is a vulnerability in GitLab Community and Enterprise Edition that allows malicious actors to deceive users through visually similar characters.

The Impact of CVE-2019-6795

This vulnerability could be exploited for social engineering attacks, potentially leading to unauthorized access or other security breaches.

Technical Details of CVE-2019-6795

This section provides more technical insights into the vulnerability.

Vulnerability Description

The flaw involves insufficient visual distinction of homoglyphs presented to a user, specifically related to IDN homographs and RTLO characters rendered to Unicode.

Affected Systems and Versions

GitLab Community and Enterprise Edition before versions 11.5.8, 11.6.x before 11.6.6, and 11.7.x before 11.7.1.

Exploitation Mechanism

Malicious actors can exploit visually similar characters to deceive users, potentially for social engineering purposes.

Mitigation and Prevention

Protecting systems from CVE-2019-6795 requires immediate actions and long-term security practices.

Immediate Steps to Take

Update GitLab to versions 11.5.8, 11.6.6, or 11.7.1 to mitigate the vulnerability.
Educate users about the risks of social engineering attacks involving visually similar characters.

Long-Term Security Practices

Implement user awareness training on social engineering tactics.
Regularly monitor and audit user interactions to detect suspicious activities.

Patching and Updates

Regularly apply security patches and updates provided by GitLab to address known vulnerabilities.