GitHubApplication
CVE-2020-10516
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedAn improper access control vulnerability was identified in the GitHub Enterprise Server API that allowed an organization member to escalate permissions and gain access to unauthorized repositories within an organization. This vulnerability affected all versions of GitHub Enterprise Server prior to 2.21 and was fixed in 2.20.9, 2.19.15, and 2.18.20. This vulnerability was reported via the GitHub Bug Bounty program.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceAn improper access control vulnerability in the GitHub Enterprise Server API allowed organization members to escalate their permissions and access repositories they were not authorized to access within an organization. This represents a privilege escalation flaw in the API's authorization logic.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data
GitHubApplication
>= 2.18.0, < 2.18.20>= 2.19.0, < 2.19.15>= 2.20.0, < 2.20.9CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify GitHub Enterprise Server versionAccess the Management Console admin settings page, or run 'ghe-version' from the administrative shell. The version is displayed on the admin dashboard or via the version command.Affected if The installed version falls within 2.18.0 to 2.18.19, 2.19.0 to 2.19.14, or 2.20.0 to 2.20.8.
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Confirm organization feature is enabledCheck that the GitHub Enterprise instance has organization memberships enabled. Navigate to the admin dashboard or organization settings to verify organizations are created and members exist.Affected if Organizations are active and users are members of organizations within the affected instance.
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Verify API access is permittedCheck that the REST API or GraphQL API endpoints are accessible to organization members. Review the instance settings under 'API settings' or verify API token usage in audit logs.Affected if The API is enabled and organization members have API access tokens.
You are affected if your GitHub Enterprise Server version is 2.18.0-2.18.19, 2.19.0-2.19.14, or 2.20.0-2.20.8 and you have organizations with members using the API.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
dbcve · scoped2.18.202.19.152.20.9
Upgrade GitHub Enterprise Server to version 2.20.9, 2.19.15, 2.18.20 or later to patch the access control vulnerability.
GitHub Enterprise Server 2.20.9, 2.19.15, or 2.18.20 (or later)
- 1. Back up your GitHub Enterprise Server instance data and configuration before proceeding with any upgrade.
- 2. Review the GitHub Enterprise Server upgrade prerequisites and release notes for the target version.
- 3. Upgrade to GitHub Enterprise Server version 2.20.9, 2.19.15, or 2.18.20 (or a later version such as 2.21+) to remediate the improper authorization vulnerability.
- 4. After upgrade, verify that organization member access controls are functioning correctly by testing that unauthorized repository access is properly blocked.
- 5. Monitor audit logs to confirm the fix is effective and no unauthorized access attempts occurred during the vulnerable period.
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in GitHub
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,896.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-10516 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2020-10516 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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