High

GitLab EE Runner API project runner hijacking

IdentifiersCVE-2025-11702CWE-862· Missing Authorization

CVE-2025-11702 is a high-severity improper access control / missing authorization vulnerability in the Runner API of GitLab Enterprise Edition. It affects GitLab EE versions 17.1 before 18.3.5, 18.4 before 18.4.3, and 18.5 before 18.5.1. Due to insufficient authorization checks in API endpoints responsible for runner management, an authenticated attacker with specific project-level permissions could bypass intended project boundaries and hijack project runners belonging to other projects. The issue is limited to GitLab Enterprise Edition; GitLab Community Edition is not affected, and GitLab.com and GitLab Dedicated were already patched.

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ANALYST BRIEF

Impact, mitigation & remediation

What it means. What to do now. Patch path, mitigations, and the assume-compromise checklist.

Impact

What an attacker gets, and what they’ve been doing with it.

Successful exploitation could allow an attacker to take control of runners assigned to other projects, execute arbitrary CI/CD jobs in another project's context, expose CI/CD secrets and environment variables, disrupt software delivery pipelines, and potentially facilitate lateral movement within the GitLab instance. The available context characterizes the confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact as high.

Mitigation

If you can’t patch tonight, do this now.

If immediate patching is not possible, reduce exposure by restricting which users have the project permissions required to manage or interact with runners, reviewing runner assignments and registration scope for cross-project exposure, monitoring Runner API activity for anomalous runner reassignment or usage, and limiting access to sensitive CI/CD variables and secrets until the instance can be upgraded. The primary mitigation is patching; no content-provided workaround fully eliminates the issue.

Remediation

Patch, then assume compromise.

Upgrade GitLab Enterprise Edition to a fixed release: 18.3.5 or later on the 18.3 branch, 18.4.3 or later on the 18.4 branch, or 18.5.1 or later on the 18.5 branch. GitLab's fix introduced stricter permission checks in the Runner API. Apply the relevant GitLab security patch release across self-managed EE deployments.

PUBLIC EXPLOITS

Exploits

No public exploits tracked yet. Mallory keeps watching.

VALID 0 / 0 TOTALView more in app

No public exploit code observed for this vulnerability.

EXPOSURE SURFACE

Affected products & vendors

Products and vendors Mallory has correlated with this vulnerability. Open in Mallory to drill down to specific CPE configurations and version ranges.

VendorProductType

GitLabGitlabapplication

Vendor-confirmed product mapping. Mallory continuously reconciles this list against your asset inventory.

ACTIVITY FEED

Recent activity

9 sources tracked across advisories, community write-ups, and news. New activity surfaces here as Mallory finds it.

9 SOURCESView more in app

cvefeed high severityNews

Oct 29, 2025

CVE-2025-11702 - Missing Authorization in GitLab

A missing-authorization flaw in GitLab Enterprise Edition that could allow an authenticated attacker (with specific permissions) to hijack project runners belonging to other projects.

zeropath blogNews

Oct 28, 2025

GitLab Runner API Improper Access Control (CVE-2025-11702): Brief Summary and Patch Review - ZeroPath Blog | ZeroPath

An improper access control vulnerability in the GitLab Enterprise Edition Runner API that could allow authenticated users with certain permissions to hijack runners from other projects, exposing CI/CD secrets and enabling unauthorized job execution or lateral movement.

the hacker newsNews

Oct 27, 2025

⚡ Weekly Recap: WSUS Exploited, LockBit 5.0 Returns, Telegram Backdoor, F5 Breach Widens

A vulnerability listed as trending; no technical details provided in the content.

security online infoNews

Oct 22, 2025

GitLab Patches High Runner Hijacking Flaw (CVE-2025-11702) and Multiple DoS Vulnerabilities

A GitLab vulnerability described as a high-severity runner hijacking flaw.

What this page doesn’t show

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Exposure mapping

Query your assets running an affected version, and investigate the blast radius.

Threat actor evidence

Every observed campaign linking this CVE to a named adversary.

Associated malware

Malware families riding this exploit, with evidence and IOCs.

Detection signatures

YARA, Sigma, Snort, and vendor rules, auto-deployed to your SIEM.

Vendor-by-vendor mapping

Cross-references every affected SKU, including bundled OEM variants.

Social activity5

Community discussion across Reddit, Mastodon, and other social sources.

EXTERNAL REFERENCES

MITRE CVE

cve.org · CVE-2025-11702

NVD

nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-11702

MITRE CWE · CWE-862

Missing Authorization

Vendor Advisory

about.gitlab.com/releases/2025/10/22/patch-release-gitlab-18-5-1-released

Permissions Required

hackerone.com/reports/3356284