Enterprise ServerApplication · GitHub
CVE-2021-22869
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 in GitHub Enterprise Server allowed a workflow job to execute in a self-hosted runner group it should not have had access to. This affects customers using self-hosted runner groups for access control. A repository with access to one enterprise runner group could access all of the enterprise runner groups within the organization because of improper authentication checks during the request. This could cause code to be run unintentionally by the incorrect runner group. This vulnerability affected GitHub Enterprise Server versions from 3.0.0 to 3.0.15 and 3.1.0 to 3.1.7 and was fixed in 3.0.16 and 3.1.8 releases.
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 confidenceGitHub Enterprise Server had an improper access control vulnerability in self-hosted runner groups where authentication checks were insufficient. A repository granted access to one enterprise runner group could access ALL enterprise runner groups within the organization due to flawed authentication logic during workflow job execution requests.
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
Enterprise ServerApplication
>= 3.0.0, < 3.0.16>= 3.1.0, < 3.1.8CVSS 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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Check installed GitHub Enterprise Server versionNavigate to the GitHub Enterprise Server administration dashboard or run 'ghe-version' via SSH to the instance. Alternatively, check the version from the site admin console under 'Site admin' > 'About'.Affected if The installed version falls within 3.0.0 to 3.0.15, or 3.1.0 to 3.1.7.
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Verify self-hosted runners are configuredAs an organization admin, go to the organization settings and check if any self-hosted runners have been added under 'Settings' > 'Actions' > 'Runners'. If no self-hosted runners exist, the vulnerability does not apply.Affected if Self-hosted runners are configured and actively registered with the organization.
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Review self-hosted runner group access policiesIn the organization settings, navigate to 'Settings' > 'Actions' > 'Runner groups'. For each runner group, examine which repositories are granted access under the 'Repository access' section.Affected if Any repository has access to more than one runner group, or runner group access appears to be improperly granted to repositories outside intended scope.
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Audit workflow files using self-hosted runnersReview repository workflow YAML files (in .github/workflows/) that specify 'runs-on:' with self-hosted runner labels. Check if workflows from a repository with limited runner group access are able to execute on runner groups they should not have access to.Affected if Workflows from a repository with access to one runner group are executing on multiple or different runner groups than expected.
The environment is affected if the GitHub Enterprise Server version is between 3.0.0 and 3.0.15 or between 3.1.0 and 3.1.7, AND self-hosted runner groups with repository-specific access policies are in use.
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 · scoped3.0.163.1.8
Upgrade GitHub Enterprise Server to version 3.0.16 or 3.1.8 or later. After upgrading, review and audit all self-hosted runner group access policies to ensure repositories only have access to intended runner groups.
Upgrade to GitHub Enterprise Server 3.0.16 or 3.1.8 (or later stable release)
- 1. Identify current GitHub Enterprise Server version by navigating to the Management Console or using the administrative API
- 2. Create a complete backup of the GitHub Enterprise Server instance, including database, configurations, and repositories
- 3. Schedule a maintenance window for the upgrade process
- 4. Upgrade to version 3.0.16 (if currently on 3.0.x branch) or version 3.1.8 (if currently on 3.1.x branch), or the latest stable release that includes the fix
- 5. After upgrade completes, verify the instance is operational by logging into the admin console
- 6. Review self-hosted runner group permissions to confirm workflow jobs only execute in their authorized runner groups
- 7. Monitor runner execution logs to validate the access control fix is functioning correctly
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Enterprise Server
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,984.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-22869 — 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-2021-22869 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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