← back
CVE-2026-85706criticalunder attackCWE-22

Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') in GitLab

100Vexday Risk Score

Patch now. It under exploitation confirmed by CISA and has a working public exploit.

ssvc Actcvss 10epss 15%
from disclosure to weapon0 days
Published on NVDSep 12
1st PoCSep 11
metasploitSep 10
CISA KEVSep 11
exploitation probability
15%top 3% of all CVEs
observed exploitation
yesCISA + VulnCheck
27 public exploit(s)
Action required by CISAfederal deadline: 2026-09-14

Apply mitigations in accordance with vendor instructions, ensuring compliance with CISA’s BOD 26-04 Prioritizing Security Updates Based on Risk (see URL in Notes) guidance and CISA’s “Forensics Triage Requirements” (see URL in Notes). Follow applicable BOD 26-04 guidance for cloud services or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable. Stakeholders are responsible for evaluating each asset's internet exposure and ensuring adherence to BOD 26-04 patching guidelines.

In short

An unauthenticated attacker can read any file from a GitLab server by exploiting a path traversal flaw in the repository commits API. This is critical because it allows unauthorized access to sensitive data without needing to log in.

Technical detail

A path traversal vulnerability in GitLab's repository commits API permits unauthenticated users to bypass path confinement controls and read arbitrary files from the server filesystem. The flaw stems from improper input validation and missing authentication enforcement; attackers can craft malicious API requests to traverse directory restrictions and access sensitive data.

Summary generated and translated by AI from the official description.
GitLab has remediated an issue in GitLab CE/EE affecting all versions from 18.7 before 19.1.8, 19.2 before 19.2.6, and 19.3 before 19.3.2 that, under certain conditions, an unauthenticated user could have read arbitrary files from the GitLab server due to improper path confinement and missing authentication enforcement in the repository commits API.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N
Affected products
GitLab · GitLab
⚠ Public resources, to assess the exposure of systems you control or are authorized to test. Test only with authorization.