CVE-2026-4916
Improper Authorization in GitLab Allows Privilege Demotion
Publication date: 2026-04-08
Last updated on: 2026-04-16
Assigner: GitLab Inc.
Description
Description
CVSS Scores
EPSS Scores
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Meta Information
Affected Vendors & Products
| Vendor | Product | Version / Range |
|---|---|---|
| gitlab | gitlab | From 18.9.0 (inc) to 18.9.5 (exc) |
| gitlab | gitlab | From 18.10.0 (inc) to 18.10.3 (exc) |
| gitlab | gitlab | From 18.2.0 (inc) to 18.8.9 (exc) |
| gitlab | gitlab | From 18.10.0 (inc) to 18.10.3 (exc) |
| gitlab | gitlab | From 18.9.0 (inc) to 18.9.5 (exc) |
| gitlab | gitlab | From 18.2.0 (inc) to 18.8.9 (exc) |
Helpful Resources
Exploitability
| CWE ID | Description |
|---|---|
| CWE-862 | The product does not perform an authorization check when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action. |
Attack-Flow Graph
AI Powered Q&A
What immediate steps should I take to mitigate this vulnerability?
To mitigate this vulnerability, you should upgrade GitLab CE/EE to a fixed version. Specifically, update to version 18.8.9 or later if you are on the 18.8 branch, 18.9.5 or later if on the 18.9 branch, or 18.10.3 or later if on the 18.10 branch.
This will ensure that the improper authorization checks on member management operations are corrected, preventing authenticated users with custom role permissions from demoting or removing higher-privileged group members.
Can you explain this vulnerability to me?
This vulnerability in GitLab CE/EE affects versions from 18.2 before 18.8.9, 18.9 before 18.9.5, and 18.10 before 18.10.3. It allows an authenticated user who has custom role permissions to improperly demote or remove group members with higher privileges. This happens because of insufficient authorization checks during member management operations.
How can this vulnerability impact me? :
The impact of this vulnerability is that a user with lower or custom permissions could reduce the privileges or remove users who have higher privileges within a group. This could lead to unauthorized changes in group membership and potentially disrupt the management and security of the group.