Enterprise ServerApplication · GitHub
CVE-2022-23741
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 incorrect authorization vulnerability was identified in GitHub Enterprise Server that allowed a scoped user-to-server token to escalate to full admin/owner privileges. An attacker would require an account with admin access to install a malicious GitHub App. This vulnerability was fixed in versions 3.3.17, 3.4.12, 3.5.9, and 3.6.5. 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 confidenceGitHub Enterprise Server contained an incorrect authorization check that allowed a scoped user-to-server token to bypass its intended permission boundaries and escalate to full admin/owner privileges. An attacker with existing admin access could install a malicious GitHub App that exploited this flaw to obtain owner-level permissions on the instance.
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
< 3.3.17>= 3.4.0, < 3.4.12>= 3.5.0, < 3.5.9>= 3.6.0, < 3.6.5CVSS 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
- High
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/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 GitHub Admin Center or run administrative commands to retrieve the installed GHES version (usually found in the Management Console or via ghe-version command)Affected if The installed version falls within < 3.3.17, >= 3.4.0 < 3.4.12, >= 3.5.0 < 3.5.9, or >= 3.6.0 < 3.6.5
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Audit owner and admin user accountsReview all user accounts granted owner or administrator roles in the site admin dashboard. Compare against known legitimate administratorsAffected if Unexpected or unauthorized accounts exist with owner-level permissions, or legitimate admin accounts show unexpected permission changes
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Inspect installed GitHub AppsNavigate to the GitHub Apps settings in the admin dashboard and review all installed applications. Check for unknown or suspicious apps with broad permissionsAffected if Unfamiliar GitHub Apps are installed, especially those requesting extensive repository or administrative permissions
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Review audit logs for privilege escalationExamine the enterprise audit log for events related to permission changes, owner role assignments, or GitHub App installations occurring around the same timeAffected if Audit logs show suspicious permission escalations or installation of GitHub Apps by accounts that should not have those privileges
A user is affected if their GitHub Enterprise Server version is within the vulnerable ranges AND they have not audited or removed potentially malicious admin accounts or GitHub Apps installed during the window of exposure.
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 · scoped3.3.173.4.123.5.9
Upgrade GitHub Enterprise Server to versions 3.3.17, 3.4.12, 3.5.9, 3.6.5 or later. Audit admin accounts and installed GitHub Apps for signs of compromise or unauthorized malicious applications.
Upgrade to version 3.6.5 (or the latest stable 3.x release) for the most recent fixes
- Upgrade GitHub Enterprise Server to version 3.3.17, 3.4.12, 3.5.9, or 3.6.5 (or later) depending on your current release line
- Prior to upgrading, review the release notes for your target version for any known issues or migration requirements
- Perform a backup of your GitHub Enterprise Server instance
- Schedule a maintenance window as upgrades may require downtime
- Follow the standard GitHub Enterprise Server upgrade procedure documented in the administration guide
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Enterprise Server
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,800.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-23741 — 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-2022-23741 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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A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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