Authenticated AI settings tampering via unchecked mutation
Published Jan 9, 2026 · Updated Jan 9, 2026
Missing authorization in GitLab EE 18.5 through 18.7.0 allows remote authenticated users to alter instance-wide AI provider settings. The AiFeatureSettingUpdate mutation in ee/app/graphql/mutations/ai/feature_settings/update.rb omits authorize and inherits a policy that permits every signed-in account. A standard user with an API-scoped token can disable GitLab Duo features or redirect them to another provider across the instance.
Summary
What happened
Missing authorization in GitLab EE 18.5 through 18.7.0 allows remote authenticated users to alter instance-wide AI provider settings. The AiFeatureSettingUpdate mutation in ee/app/graphql/mutations/ai/feature_settings/update.rb omits authorize and inherits a policy that permits every signed-in account. A standard user with an API-scoped token can disable GitLab Duo features or redirect them to another provider across the instance.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2025-13781
- Published
- Jan 9, 2026
- Updated
- Jan 9, 2026
- Vendor
- GitLab
- Product
- GitLab
- Classifications
- CWE-862
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jan 9, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Jan 9, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=18.5 <18.5.5
- Affected versionversion=18.6 <18.6.3
- Affected versionversion=18.7 <18.7.1
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
- AiFeatureSettingUpdate GraphQL reproductionfunctional · demonstrated
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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