Email notification for unknown sign-ins

Introduced in GitLab 13.0.

NOTE: Note: This feature is enabled by default for self-managed instances. Administrators may disable this feature through the Sign-in restrictions section of the UI. The feature is always enabled on GitLab.com.

When a user successfully signs in from a previously unknown IP address or device, GitLab notifies the user by email. In this way, GitLab proactively alerts users of potentially malicious or unauthorized sign-ins.

There are several methods used to identify a known sign-in. All methods must fail for a notification email to be sent.

Last sign-in IP: The current sign-in IP address is checked against the last sign-in IP address.
Current active sessions: If the user has an existing active session from the same IP address. See Active Sessions.
Cookie: After successful sign in, an encrypted cookie is stored in the browser. This cookie is set to expire 14 days after the last successful sign in.

Email notification for unknown sign-ins

Example email