CVE-2022-2904 is a high-severity cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability identified in GitLab Community Edition (CE) and Enterprise Edition (EE). It affects multiple versions starting from 15.2 up to but not including 15.2.5, 15.3 up to but not including 15.3.4, and 15.4 up to but not including 15.4.1. The vulnerability arises from improper neutralization of input during web page generation within the external status checks feature of GitLab. Specifically, this flaw allows an attacker to inject malicious scripts that are stored and later executed in the context of other users’ browsers when they access affected pages. Exploitation requires the attacker to have at least some level of authenticated access (as indicated by the CVSS vector: PR:H and UI:R), and the attack complexity is high (AC:H), meaning that the attacker must overcome certain conditions or hurdles to successfully exploit the vulnerability. The vulnerability impacts confidentiality and integrity severely, as it enables arbitrary actions on behalf of victims at the client side, such as stealing session tokens, performing unauthorized actions, or manipulating displayed data. However, availability is not impacted. The scope is changed (S:C), indicating that the vulnerability affects resources beyond the initially vulnerable component. No known exploits in the wild have been reported as of the publication date. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-79, which corresponds to improper neutralization of input leading to XSS. The lack of patch links in the provided data suggests that users should refer directly to GitLab’s official security advisories for remediation. Overall, this vulnerability represents a significant risk to GitLab users, especially in environments where external status checks are enabled and where multiple users access the platform, as it could lead to session hijacking or unauthorized actions via malicious script execution in browsers.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2022-2904 can be substantial, particularly for those relying heavily on GitLab for source code management, CI/CD pipelines, and collaboration. Exploitation could lead to unauthorized actions performed on behalf of legitimate users, potentially compromising sensitive code repositories, leaking confidential project information, or corrupting project data integrity. This is especially critical for organizations in sectors such as finance, healthcare, and critical infrastructure, where data confidentiality and integrity are paramount. The stored XSS nature means that once injected, malicious scripts persist and affect multiple users, increasing the attack surface. Additionally, since GitLab is often integrated with other development and deployment tools, the compromise could cascade, affecting broader IT environments. The requirement for authenticated access and user interaction somewhat limits the attack vector but does not eliminate risk, as insider threats or compromised accounts could be leveraged. The high attack complexity suggests that exploitation is not trivial but remains feasible for skilled attackers. Given the widespread adoption of GitLab across Europe, including in government and large enterprises, the vulnerability poses a meaningful threat to operational security and trust in development workflows.

1. Immediate upgrade to patched GitLab versions: Organizations should promptly update GitLab to versions 15.2.5, 15.3.4, or 15.4.1 or later, where this vulnerability has been addressed. 2. Restrict and monitor external status checks: Temporarily disable or tightly control the external status checks feature until patches are applied, minimizing exposure. 3. Implement strict input validation and output encoding: Review and enhance custom integrations or plugins interacting with GitLab to ensure they do not introduce similar XSS risks. 4. Enforce strong authentication and session management: Use multi-factor authentication (MFA) and monitor for unusual user activity to reduce risk from compromised accounts. 5. Conduct regular security audits and penetration testing: Focus on web application security, particularly around user input handling and stored content. 6. Educate users about phishing and social engineering: Since user interaction is required for exploitation, awareness can reduce successful attacks. 7. Monitor GitLab logs and network traffic for suspicious activities related to external status checks or unexpected script execution. 8. Isolate GitLab instances in secure network segments and apply web application firewalls (WAF) with rules targeting XSS patterns to provide additional defense layers.