CVE-2026-16301 Incorrect Authorization in GitLab
Authenticated developers can bypass authorization checks to execute CI/CD pipelines on protected branches, potentially leading to unauthorized code execution.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Any signed-in user
- Attackable
- Over the internet
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2026-16301?
CVE-2026-16301 is a high-severity missing authorization vulnerability in Gitlab Gitlab, published on 13 Oct 2026. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Official description
GitLab has remediated an issue in GitLab CE/EE affecting all versions from 18.7 before 19.2.8, 19.3 before 19.3.5, and 19.4 before 19.4.2 that, under certain conditions, could have allowed an authenticated user with Developer role to execute CI/CD pipelines on protected branches without authorization due to improper authorization checks in the downstream pipeline creation service.
Weakness: CWE-863
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-16301?
1 open source package ship an affected version, including gitlab. It affects 1 product.
| Package | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
gitlab Bitnami | From 18.7.0 | 19.2.8, 19.3.5, 19.4.2 |
Products include Gitlab Gitlab.
How do I fix CVE-2026-16301?
Upgrade gitlab to a fixed version for your release line: 19.2.8, 19.3.5 or 19.4.2.
Upgrade, and check permissions on every request on the server, not only in the interface. More about Missing authorization.
Is CVE-2026-16301 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-16301 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in Gitlab Gitlab
- CVE-2026-97229 GitLab Community Edition and Enterprise Edition Integer Overflow or Wraparound
- CVE-2026-85706 GitLab Community Edition and Enterprise Edition Path Traversal
- CVE-2023-7028 GitLab Community and Enterprise Editions Improper Access Control
- CVE-2021-22205 GitLab Community and Enterprise Editions Remote Code Execution
- CVE-2021-39935 GitLab Community and Enterprise Editions Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF)
Sources
Also known as BIT-gitlab-2026-16301, GHSA-4jhf-7f73-gc68, MINI-23rr-95mj-v5cq, MINI-2rh3-mj4m-vc3v, MINI-2vh9-j84q-3mjw, MINI-33q2-cx37-cfwv and 28 more.