CVE-2026-1868
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability in GitLab AI Gateway allows attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service through insecure template expansion in Duo Workflow Service. It affects all GitLab AI Gateway installations from versions 18.1.6 through 18.8.0. Organizations using GitLab's AI features are at risk.
💻 Affected Systems
- GitLab AI Gateway
⚠️ Manual Verification Required
This CVE does not have specific version information in our database, so automatic vulnerability detection cannot determine if your system is affected.
Why? The CVE database entry doesn't specify which versions are vulnerable (no version ranges provided by the vendor/NVD).
🔒 Custom verification scripts are available for registered users. Sign up free to download automated test scripts.
- Review the CVE details at NVD
- Check vendor security advisories for your specific version
- Test if the vulnerability is exploitable in your environment
- Consider updating to the latest version as a precaution
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Full remote code execution on the AI Gateway server, potentially leading to complete system compromise, data exfiltration, and lateral movement within the network.
Likely Case
Denial of service attacks disrupting AI Gateway functionality, with potential for limited code execution depending on attacker skill and environment configuration.
If Mitigated
Minimal impact if proper network segmentation and access controls prevent external attackers from reaching vulnerable endpoints.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires crafting malicious Duo Agent Platform Flow definitions, but no authentication is needed to trigger the vulnerability.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 18.6.2, 18.7.1, and 18.8.1
Vendor Advisory: https://about.gitlab.com/releases/2026/02/06/patch-release-gitlab-ai-gateway-18-8-1-released/
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Identify current GitLab AI Gateway version. 2. Upgrade to 18.6.2, 18.7.1, or 18.8.1 depending on your current version track. 3. Restart the AI Gateway service. 4. Verify the upgrade was successful.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable AI Gateway
linuxTemporarily disable the AI Gateway component until patching can be completed.
gitlab-ctl stop gitlab-ai-gateway
Network Isolation
linuxRestrict network access to AI Gateway endpoints using firewall rules.
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport <ai-gateway-port> -j DROP
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict network access controls to limit AI Gateway exposure to trusted sources only.
- Disable Duo Workflow Service functionality if not required for operations.
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check GitLab AI Gateway version using the version command and compare against affected versions list.Check Version:
gitlab-ai-gateway --versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify version is 18.6.2, 18.7.1, or 18.8.1 and test AI Gateway functionality.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual template processing errors
- Suspicious Duo Agent Platform Flow definitions
- Unexpected process spawns from AI Gateway
Network Indicators:
- Unusual outbound connections from AI Gateway server
- Traffic patterns indicating DoS attempts
SIEM Query:
source="gitlab-ai-gateway" AND (error OR exception) AND template