CVE-2020-13349 : Exploit Details and Defense Strategies

This CVE article provides details about a vulnerability in GitLab EE versions affecting the Advanced Search feature.

Understanding CVE-2020-13349

An issue in GitLab EE versions starting from 8.12 has been identified, making the Advanced Search feature vulnerable to catastrophic backtracking due to a regular expression related to a file path.

What is CVE-2020-13349?

The vulnerability in GitLab EE versions >=8.12, <13.3.9, >=13.4, <13.4.5, >=13.5, <13.5.2 allows for uncontrolled resource consumption.

The Impact of CVE-2020-13349

The impact is rated as MEDIUM with a CVSS base score of 4.3. It requires low privileges and no user interaction, affecting the availability of the system.

Technical Details of CVE-2020-13349

Vulnerability Description

The vulnerability arises from a regular expression issue in the Advanced Search feature, leading to potential catastrophic backtracking.

Affected Systems and Versions

GitLab EE versions >=8.12, <13.3.9, >=13.4, <13.4.5, >=13.5, <13.5.2

Exploitation Mechanism

The vulnerability can be exploited through crafted requests that trigger the Advanced Search feature, causing excessive resource consumption.

Mitigation and Prevention

Immediate Steps to Take

Apply the provided patches or updates from GitLab to address the vulnerability.
Monitor system resources for any unusual spikes in consumption.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update GitLab EE to the latest versions to ensure all security patches are applied.
Conduct security audits and testing to identify and mitigate similar vulnerabilities.

Patching and Updates

Ensure timely installation of security patches and updates released by GitLab to protect against known vulnerabilities.