Is CVE-2026-16301 exploited in the wild?

No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-16301 being exploited in the wild.

How severe is CVE-2026-16301?

High severity, with a CVSS score of 8.5, published 13 October 2026.

Which products and versions are affected?

GitLab Community Edition 18.7 to 19.2.7, 19.3.0 to 19.3.4, 19.4.0 to 19.4.1; GitLab Enterprise Edition 18.7 to 19.2.7, 19.3.0 to 19.3.4, 19.4.0 to 19.4.1.

Is there a fix for CVE-2026-16301?

Yes: fixed in GitLab CE/EE 19.2.8, 19.3.5, 19.4.2. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

How is CVE-2026-16301 attacked?

It is attacked over the network, in a web application.

Am I affected by CVE-2026-16301?

Check whether you run GitLab, GitLab Community Edition or GitLab Enterprise Edition at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

CVE-2026-16301: GitLab improper authorization in downstream pipeline creation

CVE-2026-16301 · Severity: high · CVSS 8.5 · Published 2026-10-13

GitLab is a platform that manages source code repositories and automates software delivery through CI/CD pipelines. A developer with limited permissions could execute CI/CD pipelines on protected branches that they normally cannot modify, potentially allowing them to introduce malicious code or bypass security controls. This affects GitLab Community Edition and Enterprise Edition across multiple versions.

Technologies: GitLab, GitLab Community Edition, GitLab Enterprise Edition. Vendors: GitLab.

Quick answers

Is CVE-2026-16301 exploited in the wild?: No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-16301 being exploited in the wild.
How severe is CVE-2026-16301?: High severity, with a CVSS score of 8.5, published 13 October 2026.
Which products and versions are affected?: GitLab Community Edition 18.7 to 19.2.7, 19.3.0 to 19.3.4, 19.4.0 to 19.4.1; GitLab Enterprise Edition 18.7 to 19.2.7, 19.3.0 to 19.3.4, 19.4.0 to 19.4.1.
Is there a fix for CVE-2026-16301?: Yes: fixed in GitLab CE/EE 19.2.8, 19.3.5, 19.4.2. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.
How is CVE-2026-16301 attacked?: It is attacked over the network, in a web application.
Am I affected by CVE-2026-16301?: Check whether you run GitLab, GitLab Community Edition or GitLab Enterprise Edition at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

How to fix

Fixed in: GitLab CE/EE 19.2.8, 19.3.5, 19.4.2

Technical details

The vulnerability is an improper authorization flaw in the downstream pipeline creation service that allows authenticated users with Developer role to execute CI/CD pipelines on protected branches without proper permission checks. An attacker must be authenticated with Developer role and trigger a downstream pipeline creation, requiring no user interaction beyond that. This allows execution of arbitrary pipeline logic on protected branches, bypassing intended access controls.

Affected products

GitLab GitLab Community Edition 18.7 to 19.2.7, 19.3.0 to 19.3.4, 19.4.0 to 19.4.1
GitLab GitLab Enterprise Edition 18.7 to 19.2.7, 19.3.0 to 19.3.4, 19.4.0 to 19.4.1

Timeline

2026-10-13: disclosed
2026-10-12: patched: Critical patch released for CE/EE versions 19.4.2, 19.3.5, 19.2.8

References

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