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GitLab CICD Token

GitLab CICD tokens are authentication credentials used to interact with GitLab's Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CICD) pipelines. These tokens allow automated systems to authenticate and perform actions on GitLab repositories, such as triggering builds, deploying applications, and accessing repository data. Exposure of these tokens is a significant security concern as it can lead to unauthorized access to the repository, manipulation of the CICD pipeline, and potential compromise of the software supply chain.

How Does It Look​

GitLab CICD tokens can appear in various contexts, such as:

  • Environment variables:

    export GITLAB_CI_TOKEN="glpat-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"

  • Configuration files (YAML):

    gitlab:
      token: "glpat-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"

  • Code snippets:

    import requests

    headers = {"PRIVATE-TOKEN": "glpat-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"}
    response = requests.get("https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/projects", headers=headers)

  • Connection strings:

    https://gitlab-ci-token:glpat-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@gitlab.example.com/project.git

Severity​

  • 🔴 Critical

The severity of exposing a GitLab CICD token is critical because it grants access to the GitLab API, allowing an attacker to manipulate CICD pipelines, access sensitive repository data, and potentially deploy malicious code. The blast radius includes all projects and environments associated with the token, posing a risk to the entire software development lifecycle.

What Can an Attacker Do?​

With immediate access to a GitLab CICD token, an attacker can perform several malicious actions:

An attacker can immediately:

  • Trigger unauthorized builds (if the token has pipeline trigger permissions)
  • Access and modify repository data (if the token has read/write permissions)
  • Deploy malicious code (if deployment permissions are granted)
  • Access sensitive environment variables (if the token allows environment access)

Additionally, an attacker can escalate their access by:

  • Creating new tokens (if the token has admin privileges)
  • Accessing other integrated services (if the token is used in cross-service integrations)

Real-World Impact​

The exposure of a GitLab CICD token poses significant business risks, including:

The primary impact includes unauthorized access to the software development process.

Potential consequences include:

  • Data Exposure: Access to proprietary code and sensitive data (if the token has read access to repositories)
  • Financial Loss: Increased costs from unauthorized resource usage (if the token allows resource provisioning)
  • Operational Disruption: Pipeline failures and deployment of faulty code (if the attacker modifies pipeline configurations)
  • Reputational Damage: Loss of customer trust due to compromised software integrity

In the worst-case scenario, an attacker could introduce vulnerabilities into the codebase, leading to widespread security breaches and long-term reputational harm.

Prerequisites for Exploitation​

To exploit a GitLab CICD token, an attacker needs:

  • Network access to the GitLab instance
  • Knowledge of the repository structure and endpoints
  • No IP restrictions on the token usage
  • Absence of multi-factor authentication for additional security layers

How to Verify If It's Active​

To verify if a GitLab CICD token is active, use the following command:

curl -H "PRIVATE-TOKEN: [TOKEN]" https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/user

Valid credential response: A successful response will return user details in JSON format, indicating the token is active.

Invalid/expired credential response: An error message such as "401 Unauthorized" will indicate the token is invalid or expired.

Detection Patterns​

Common Variable Names:

  • GITLAB_CI_TOKEN
  • GITLAB_TOKEN
  • CI_JOB_TOKEN
  • PRIVATE_TOKEN
  • ACCESS_TOKEN
  • GITLAB_API_TOKEN

File Locations:

  • .gitlab-ci.yml
  • config.yml
  • .env
  • settings.py
  • application.properties

Regex Pattern:

glpat-[0-9a-zA-Z\-_]{20}

Remediation Steps​

  1. Revoke immediately - Go to GitLab > Settings > Access Tokens and delete the compromised token.
  2. Audit access logs - Review GitLab audit logs for unauthorized access or actions during the exposure window.
  3. Assess blast radius - Identify all projects and environments that used the exposed token.
  4. Rotate credential - Create a new token in GitLab with least-privilege permissions.
  5. Update dependent systems - Deploy the new token to all applications and update CI/CD pipelines securely.
  6. Harden access controls - Enable IP allowlisting in GitLab and require multi-factor authentication.
  7. Implement secrets management - Migrate tokens to a secrets manager (HashiCorp Vault, AWS Secrets Manager) to prevent hardcoding.
  8. Add detection controls - Set up pre-commit hooks and repository scanning to catch token leaks before they reach production.

Credential exposures often go undetected for extended periods, increasing the window for exploitation. As a long-term strategy, plan to establish an internal process or engage an external vendor for continuous external exposure monitoring. This helps identify leaked secrets across public repositories, paste sites, dark web forums, and other external sources before attackers can leverage them. Proactive detection and rapid response are essential to minimizing the impact of credential leaks.

References​