CVE-2024-45409 Scanner

The GitLab platform is a widely used DevOps tool that provides a range of software development and collaboration features. It is utilized by software development teams across various industries to manage projects, code repositories, and deployment pipelines. GitLab offers a comprehensive suite of tools for version control, continuous integration, and more within a singular web-based interface. The platform supports integration with multiple authentication protocols such as OAuth, LDAP, and SAML for enhanced security. By employing GitLab, teams aim to streamline their code development processes and enhance their productivity through efficient collaboration. However, vulnerabilities within its third-party libraries, like Ruby-SAML, can pose significant risks to overall system security.

The identified vulnerability concerns a critical weak point in the Ruby-SAML library, which fails to properly validate the signature of a SAML response. This flaw allows malicious actors to forge SAML responses, effectively bypassing authentication mechanisms. An attacker exploiting this vulnerability can gain unauthorized access to GitLab accounts by forging validly signed SAML assertions. Such a flaw highlights the importance of correct implementation of security protocols like SAML in authentication processes. Without adequate signature verification, the system may accept manipulated credentials as legitimate, posing a severe security threat.

Vulnerability details indicate that any signed SAML document can be manipulated due to inadequate signature verifications in affected versions. The issue resides within the parsing and handling of SAML responses where critical elements like Signatures are not enforced. Specific endpoints in the application which rely on the authenticity of SAML assertions become exploitable through this vector. Attackers can potentially manipulate any attribute within the SAML response, altering user identification details to match their unauthorized access intents.

This vulnerability primarily threatens the authentication integrity of GitLab services that rely on SAML. Exploitation can result in unauthorized account access, leading to potential data breaches, loss of data integrity, and user impersonation. Organizations could face substantial risks if attackers gain control over administrative accounts using this vulnerability. It underscores the need for patched updates to eliminate security gaps in critical authentication components. The exposure risks make it imperative for organizations using affected versions to prioritize applying advised security fixes promptly.

REFERENCES

• https://about.gitlab.com/releases/2024/09/17/patch-release-gitlab-17-3-3-released/
• https://github.com/omniauth/omniauth-saml/security/advisories/GHSA-cvp8-5r8g-fhvq
• https://github.com/SAML-Toolkits/ruby-saml/security/advisories/GHSA-jw9c-mfg7-9rx2
• https://blog.projectdiscovery.io/ruby-saml-gitlab-auth-bypass/