Learn about CVE-2023-2198, a vulnerability in GitLab CE/EE allowing for Regular Expression Denial of Service. Impact rated high with a severity score of 7.5.
This article provides detailed information about CVE-2023-2198, a vulnerability discovered in GitLab CE/EE.
Understanding CVE-2023-2198
CVE-2023-2198 is a vulnerability found in GitLab CE/EE that affects versions ranging from 8.7 to 16.0. The issue allows for Regular Expression Denial of Service by sending malicious payloads to the preview_markdown endpoint.
What is CVE-2023-2198?
The CVE-2023-2198 vulnerability in GitLab CE/EE enables an attacker to perform a Regular Expression Denial of Service attack by sending crafted payloads to the preview_markdown endpoint. This can lead to a disruption in the availability of the service.
The Impact of CVE-2023-2198
The impact of CVE-2023-2198 is rated as HIGH, with a base severity score of 7.5 according to CVSS:3.1 metrics. It can result in a significant availability impact on the affected systems.
Technical Details of CVE-2023-2198
This section covers the technical aspects of the vulnerability, including its description, affected systems, and the exploitation mechanism.
Vulnerability Description
The vulnerability allows for uncontrolled resource consumption in GitLab, specifically in versions 8.7 to 16.0, leading to a Regular Expression Denial of Service attack through crafted payloads.
Affected Systems and Versions
GitLab CE/EE versions starting from 8.7 before 15.10.8, versions starting from 15.11 before 15.11.7, and versions starting from 16.0 before 16.0.2 are impacted by this vulnerability.
Exploitation Mechanism
By sending specially crafted payloads to the preview_markdown endpoint, an attacker can exploit the vulnerability and trigger a Regular Expression Denial of Service condition in the affected GitLab instances.
Mitigation and Prevention
To address CVE-2023-2198 and reduce the risk of exploitation, certain steps need to be taken by organizations using GitLab CE/EE.
Immediate Steps to Take
Long-Term Security Practices
Patching and Updates
It is crucial for organizations utilizing GitLab to stay informed about security updates and promptly apply patches released by GitLab to address known vulnerabilities like CVE-2023-2198.