CVE-2026-16794

Analyzed Analyzed - Analysis Complete

Authentication Bypass in GitLab EE CI/CD

Publication date: 2026-09-16

Last updated on: 2026-09-28

Assigner: GitLab Inc.

Description

GitLab has remediated an issue in GitLab EE affecting all versions from 18.11 before 19.1.8, 19.2 before 19.2.6, and 19.3 before 19.3.2 that under certain conditions could have allowed an authenticated user with the Security Manager role to execute arbitrary CI/CD jobs and access protected variables within group projects due to improper authorization controls on compliance framework management.

CVSS Scores

EPSS Scores

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Meta Information

Published

2026-09-16

Last Modified

2026-09-28

Generated

2026-10-06

AI Q&A

2026-09-16

EPSS Evaluated

2026-10-05

NVD

CVE-2026-16794

EUVD

EUVD-2026-80118

Affected Vendors & Products

Vendor	Product	Version / Range
gitlab	gitlab	From 19.2.0 (inc) to 19.2.6 (exc)
gitlab	gitlab	From 19.3.0 (inc) to 19.3.2 (exc)
gitlab	gitlab	From 18.11.0 (inc) to 19.1.8 (exc)

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE

KEV

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

Executive Summary

This vulnerability in GitLab EE allows an authenticated user with the Security Manager role to execute arbitrary CI/CD jobs and access protected variables in group projects. It exists due to improper authorization controls when managing compliance frameworks. The issue affects versions before 19.1.8, 19.2.6, and 19.3.2.

Impact Analysis

An attacker with the Security Manager role could run unauthorized CI/CD jobs and steal sensitive protected variables. This could lead to data breaches, unauthorized code execution, or compromise of project secrets.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive data, violating compliance requirements like GDPR (data protection) and HIPAA (health information security). It may result in data breaches and non-compliance penalties.

Mitigation Strategies

Upgrade GitLab EE to version 19.1.8, 19.2.6, or 19.3.2 or later to address the authorization control issue affecting Security Manager roles.

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