Overview
The cybersecurity landscape is filled with never-ending threats, and one that has recently come to light is CVE-2025-7734. This vulnerability affects GitLab CE/EE, a popular web-based DevOps lifecycle tool. The vulnerability affects all versions from 14.2 to versions before 18.0.6, 18.1 before 18.1.4, and 18.2 before 18.2.2 respectively. This vulnerability is significant because it potentially allows an attacker to execute unauthorized actions on behalf of users by injecting malicious content, posing a severe threat to system integrity and data security.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2025-7734
Severity: High (8.7 CVSS)
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: Required
Impact: System compromise or data leakage
Affected Products
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Product | Affected Versions
GitLab CE | 14.2 to <18.0.6 GitLab EE | 14.2 to <18.0.6 GitLab CE | 18.1 to <18.1.4 GitLab EE | 18.1 to <18.1.4 GitLab CE | 18.2 to <18.2.2 GitLab EE | 18.2 to <18.2.2 How the Exploit Works
The vulnerability stems from the ability for an attacker to inject malicious content into GitLab. A lack of proper input validation or sanitization could potentially allow an attacker to manipulate data and perform actions on behalf of users. This could lead to unauthorized changes to the system or data leakage.
Conceptual Example Code
Here is a conceptual example of how the vulnerability might be exploited. This example shows a malicious HTTP POST request that could potentially be sent to a vulnerable GitLab instance:
POST /api/v4/projects/ HTTP/1.1
Host: gitlab.example.com
Content-Type: application/json
{
"name": "NewProject",
"description": "<img src=x onerror=alert('CVE-2025-7734')>",
"visibility": "public"
}In this example, the attacker tries to create a new project with an embedded script in the description. When viewed by a user in their browser, the script would execute, demonstrating the kind of unauthorized action that could be taken.
Mitigation Guidance
Users are advised to apply the vendor patch to mitigate this vulnerability. If the patch cannot be applied immediately, using a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or an Intrusion Detection System (IDS) could serve as a temporary mitigation measure. Furthermore, organizations should review their cybersecurity strategies to ensure they can effectively manage such vulnerabilities and rapidly respond to emerging threats.