Description
GitLab has remediated an issue in GitLab EE affecting all versions from 16.10 before 18.9.7, 18.10 before 18.10.6, and 18.11 before 18.11.3 that when instance-level approval rule editing prevention was enabled, could have allowed an authenticated user with Maintainer permissions to modify or delete project approval rules due to missing authorization checks.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| GitLab | GitLab | 16.10 – < 18.9.7, 18.10 – < 18.10.6, 18.11 – < 18.11.3 | 18.9.7 |
Fixed in Linux distributions
Distributions backport fixes, so the version that fixes this vulnerability differs per release — upgrade to at least the version shown. From the distributions' security trackers and advisories.
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 16.04 LTS | gitlab | No fix yet | — |
Advisories 2
- NCSC-2026-0161 Kwetsbaarheden verholpen in GitLab door GitLab Inc. NCSC-NL (Netherlands) · May 15, 2026
- WID-SEC-2026-1523 GitLab: Mehrere Schwachstellen BSI CERT-Bund (WID) · May 14, 2026
References
- HackerOne Bug Bounty Report #3561092 technical-description exploit permissions-required
- https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/work_items/590983
- https://about.gitlab.com/releases/2026/05/13/patch-release-gitlab-18-11-3-released/