GitLab Vulnerability Exploited One Day After Disclosure
WatchTowr observed in-the-wild exploitation of critical GitLab path traversal CVE-2026-85706 one day after disclosure, letting unauthenticated attackers read arbitrary files.
WatchTowr detected the first in-the-wild probes for CVE-2026-85706 (CVSS 10.0), an unauthenticated path traversal in GitLab CE/EE that allows arbitrary file reads via a single HTTP request, and warns mass exploitation is likely. Affected versions include 18.7 before 19.1.8, 19.2 before 19.2.6, and 19.3 before 19.3.2. The fresh patches also fix 17 other vulnerabilities, including CVE-2026-87719 (CVSS 9.9), an insecure deserialization flaw in the GraphQL subscription serializer exposing Advanced Search credentials, plus six high-severity bugs enabling RCE, CI/CD variable access, XSS, and denial of service.
- CVE-2026-85706 (CVSS 10.0) enables unauthenticated arbitrary file reads via one HTTP request.
- Exploitation probes began one day after patches; mass exploitation likely, WatchTowr says.
- Hunt logs for POSTs to /api/v4/projects/{id}/repository/commits/ with file.path parameters.
- Patches also fix CVE-2026-87719 (CVSS 9.9), insecure deserialization exposing Advanced Search credentials.
- Six high-severity fixes cover RCE, CI/CD variable access, XSS, and denial of service.
Vulnerabilities mentionedAll →
| CVE | Vulnerability | CVSS | EPSS | Flags | Affected | Exposure | Published |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2026-85706 | Unauthenticated Path Traversal Arbitrary File Read in GitLab CE/EE CVE-2026-85706 is a path traversal flaw (CWE-35) in GitLab Community Edition and Enterprise Edition in which the repository commits API does not properly confine file paths and does not enforce authentication, allowing an unauthenticated attacker to read arbitrary files from the GitLab server. It is triggered by sending a crafted unauthenticated request to the commits API that supplies traversal sequences moving outside the intended repository path. An attacker gains the ability to read arbitrary files on the host, which can expose configuration files, certificates, and stored credentials or keys; related reporting on the recent GitLab patch wave also notes credential theft and code execution flaws, though this CVE itself is the file-read issue. All self-managed GitLab CE and EE deployments are in scope, and CISA did not publish specific affected version ranges in this data. The flaw was added to CISA's KEV catalog on 2026-09-11 and is being actively probed and exploited in the wild within a day of disclosure, with three public proof-of-concept repositories available; ransomware use is not yet confirmed. Do: Upgrade GitLab CE/EE to the patched release identified in GitLab's security advisory (no specific fixed version number is provided in this data), prioritizing internet-facing instances in line with CISA BOD 26-04; if patching is not immediately possible, restrict exposure and review access logs for unauthenticated requests to the commits API containing path traversal sequences. Because arbitrary file read can expose server-side secrets, inventory and rotate credentials, tokens, and keys stored on or reachable by affected GitLab hosts. | 10.0 | 12% | KEV PoC ×9 |
| massLikely >1,000,000 aggregate users across hundreds of thousands of self-managed CE/EE deployments, with tens of thousands of instances directly exposed to the… | |
| CVE-2026-87719 | Authenticated GraphQL Subscription Flaw Leaks Search Credentials in GitLab EE GitLab EE contains a critical (CVSS 9.9) deserialization flaw (CWE-502) in which an authenticated user with Duo Chat access can pass a specially crafted GraphQL subscription argument that bypasses serialization and performs a server object lookup. Via this bypass, the attacker can obtain Advanced Search instance configurations and the sensitive credentials they contain. Because the attack requires only a low-privileged account with Duo Chat access over the network, with no user interaction, any EE deployment where Duo Chat is enabled is potentially exposed, including both self-managed instances and GitLab.com. Affected versions are EE 18.3 and later before 19.1.8, 19.2 before 19.2.6, and 19.3 before 19.3.2. No public proof-of-concept or CISA KEV listing exists for this CVE as of now, though related GitLab flaws disclosed in the same cycle are reportedly drawing internet-wide probing. Do: Upgrade GitLab EE to 19.3.2, 19.2.6, or 19.1.8 depending on the version track in use. Until patched, restrict Duo Chat access to trusted users or disable it where feasible, and audit logs for unusual GraphQL subscription activity by authenticated Duo Chat users. After upgrading, rotate Advanced Search (Elasticsearch/OpenSearch) credentials and review search cluster configurations for signs of access. | 9.9 | — |
| largelikely hundreds of thousands of paid-tier (Duo-enabled) users across GitLab.com and self-managed EE instances |
Full article290 words · extracted from securityweek.com · click to collapse
Threat actors have started exploiting a newly patched vulnerability in GitLab one day after public disclosure, attack surface management firm WatchTowr warns.
Tracked as CVE-2026-85706 (CVSS score of 10/10), the security defect is described as a path traversal issue that can allow unauthenticated users to read arbitrary files from the GitLab server.
All Community Edition (CE) and Enterprise Edition (EE) versions from 18.7 before 19.1.8, 19.2 before 19.2.6, and 19.3 before 19.3.2 are affected.
On Friday, one day after GitLab announced patches for the security weakness, WatchTowr observed the first in-the-wild exploitation attempts targeting it.
“WatchTowr Intel is already observing in-the-wild probes for the latest critical GitLab Path Traversal vulnerability, CVE-2026-85706, which allows attackers to read arbitrary files in a single HTTP request,” the company said.
According to WatchTowr, mass exploitation of the vulnerability is likely to follow shortly.
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“Defenders should hunt through log files for HTTP POST requests to ‘/api/v4/projects/{id}/repository/commits/’ URIs containing ‘file.path’ parameters to identify potential exploitation attempts,” the company noted.
Self-hosted GitLab instances should be upgraded as soon as possible, as the fresh patches resolve 17 other vulnerabilities, including another critical-severity bug.
The critical flaw, tracked as CVE-2026-87719 (CVSS score of 9.9/10), is an insecure deserialization issue in the GraphQL subscription serializer that could allow attackers to access “Advanced Search instance configurations and sensitive credentials”.
GitLab CE/EE versions 19.1.8, 19.2.6, and 19.3.2 also resolve six high-severity security defects that could allow attackers to achieve remote code execution, access protected CI/CD variables, mount XSS attacks, and cause denial-of-service conditions.
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Text extracted automatically; images, tables and formatting may be missing. Original: https://www.securityweek.com/gitlab-vulnerability-exploited-one-day-after-disclosure/