CVE-2023-1401 is a medium-severity vulnerability identified in the GitLab Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) scanner component, affecting all versions starting from 3.0.29 up to but not including 4.0.5. The vulnerability is categorized under CWE-201, which involves the insertion of sensitive information into sent data. Specifically, the issue arises during the authorization process within the DAST scanner, where cross-site cookies are leaked on HTTP redirects. This leakage occurs because the scanner improperly handles cookies during redirection, potentially exposing session or authentication cookies to unintended recipients or intermediaries. The vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.0, indicating a medium severity level. The vector metrics show that the attack can be performed remotely (AV:N) with low attack complexity (AC:L), requires privileges (PR:L) but no user interaction (UI:N), and has a scope change (S:C). The impact is limited to confidentiality (C:L) with no impact on integrity or availability. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, and no official patches have been linked yet. The vulnerability could allow an attacker with some level of access to the GitLab instance to intercept or capture sensitive cookie data during authorization redirects, potentially facilitating session hijacking or unauthorized access escalation if combined with other weaknesses. This issue is particularly relevant for organizations using GitLab's DAST scanner in their CI/CD pipelines or security testing processes, as it could undermine the confidentiality of authentication tokens or session cookies during automated scans.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2023-1401 centers on the potential exposure of sensitive session cookies during automated security scans using GitLab's DAST scanner. This could lead to unauthorized access if attackers can intercept these cookies, especially in environments where GitLab is integrated deeply into development and deployment workflows. Confidentiality breaches could expose internal project data, user credentials, or sensitive configuration details. Given the medium severity and the requirement for some privilege level to exploit, the risk is moderate but non-negligible. Organizations handling sensitive or regulated data, such as those in finance, healthcare, or critical infrastructure sectors, may face compliance risks under GDPR if personal data confidentiality is compromised. Additionally, the scope change in the vulnerability means that an attacker exploiting this flaw could affect resources beyond the initially compromised component, potentially escalating the impact within the affected environment. However, the absence of known exploits in the wild and the lack of impact on integrity or availability reduce the immediate threat level. Still, the vulnerability warrants prompt attention to prevent potential exploitation, especially in high-security environments.

To mitigate CVE-2023-1401 effectively, European organizations should: 1) Upgrade GitLab DAST scanner to version 4.0.5 or later once the patch is available, as this will address the cookie leakage issue. 2) Until an official patch is released, restrict access to the GitLab DAST scanner and its authorization endpoints to trusted internal networks only, minimizing exposure to potential attackers. 3) Implement strict network segmentation and monitoring around CI/CD infrastructure to detect unusual access patterns or attempts to intercept authorization redirects. 4) Review and harden cookie security settings, such as enforcing Secure and HttpOnly flags, to reduce the risk of cookie theft via interception or cross-site scripting. 5) Employ additional layers of authentication and session management controls, including short-lived tokens and multi-factor authentication, to limit the impact of any leaked cookies. 6) Conduct regular security audits and penetration testing focusing on CI/CD pipelines and automated security tools to identify and remediate similar issues proactively. 7) Educate development and security teams about the risks associated with automated scanning tools and the importance of timely updates and configuration management.