CVE-2013-4490

GitLab <5.4.1, <6.2.3 - Command Injection

Title source: llm
STIX 2.1

Exploitation Summary

EIP tracks 2 public exploits for CVE-2013-4490. PoCs published by Metasploit, Brandon Knight, including Metasploit module exploits/multi/http/gitlab_shell_exec.

AI-analyzed exploit summary This Metasploit module exploits a command injection vulnerability in GitLab-shell versions prior to 1.7.4 by injecting malicious commands into SSH key additions. It requires valid credentials to authenticate and add an SSH key, which is then used to execute arbitrary commands.

Description

The SSH key upload feature (lib/gitlab_keys.rb) in gitlab-shell before 1.7.3, as used in GitLab 5.0 before 5.4.1 and 6.x before 6.2.3, allows remote authenticated users to execute arbitrary commands via shell metacharacters in the public key.

Exploits (2)

exploitdb WORKING POC VERIFIED
by Metasploit · rubyremotelinux
https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/34362

This Metasploit module exploits a command injection vulnerability in GitLab-shell versions prior to 1.7.4 by injecting malicious commands into SSH key additions. It requires valid credentials to authenticate and add an SSH key, which is then used to execute arbitrary commands.

Classification
Working Poc 100%
Attack Type
Rce
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: GitLab-shell < 1.7.4
Auth required
Prerequisites: Valid GitLab credentials · Network access to the GitLab instance
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →
metasploit WORKING POC EXCELLENT
by Brandon Knight · rubypoclinux
https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/blob/master/modules/exploits/multi/http/gitlab_shell_exec.rb

This Metasploit module exploits a command injection vulnerability in GitLab-shell (CVE-2013-4490) by injecting malicious commands into SSH key additions. It requires valid credentials and targets versions prior to 1.7.4.

Classification
Working Poc 100%
Attack Type
Rce
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: GitLab-shell < 1.7.4
Auth required
Prerequisites: Valid GitLab credentials · Network access to GitLab instance
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →

References (1)

Core 1
Core References

Scores

EPSS 0.4214
EPSS Percentile 98.5%

Details

Status published
Products (21)
gitlab/gitlab 5.0.0
gitlab/gitlab 5.0.1
gitlab/gitlab 5.1.0
gitlab/gitlab 5.2.0
gitlab/gitlab 5.3.0
gitlab/gitlab 5.4.0
gitlab/gitlab 6.0.0
gitlab/gitlab 6.1.0
gitlab/gitlab 6.2.0
gitlab/gitlab 6.2.1
... and 11 more
Published May 13, 2014
Tracked Since Feb 18, 2026