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GitLabApplication

CVE-2023-0223

MEDIUM · 5.3 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-03-09
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 15.7.8 / 15.8.4 or later.
See remediation →
62/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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 · unedited
An issue has been discovered in GitLab affecting all versions starting from 15.5 before 15.7.8, all versions starting from 15.8 before 15.8.4, all versions starting from 15.9 before 15.9.2. Non-project members could retrieve release descriptions via the API, even if the release visibility is restricted to project members only in the project settings.

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 confidence

GitLab has an information disclosure vulnerability in its API where release descriptions could be retrieved by non-project members even when release visibility is restricted to project members only. The API fails to properly enforce the visibility settings configured in the project, allowing unauthorized access to sensitive release information.

MitigationUpgrade GitLab to version 15.7.9, 15.8.5, or 15.9.3 or later. If immediate upgrade is not possible, restrict API access to trusted users and monitor for unauthorized release description access.

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
GitLabApplication
Affected:>= 15.5.0, < 15.7.8>= 15.8.0, < 15.8.4>= 15.9.0, < 15.9.2

CVSS 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
Low
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N

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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify installed GitLab version
    Run `sudo gitlab-rake gitlab:env:info` or check the GitLab admin panel under /admin/application_settings or the /version API endpoint
    Affected if The installed version falls within 15.5.0 to 15.7.7, 15.8.0 to 15.8.3, or 15.9.0 to 15.9.2
  2. Verify release API accessibility
    Attempt to access the releases API endpoint `/api/v4/projects/:id/releases` using a request from a user account that is NOT a member of the project
    Affected if The API returns release descriptions or details to the non-member user when release visibility is set to project members only
  3. Check project release visibility settings
    Navigate to Project Settings > Visibility, Features, Permissions and review the 'Releases' visibility setting, or query the project API with `GET /api/v4/projects/:id` and check the `releases_access_level` field
    Affected if Releases visibility is configured as 'Only project members' or similar restricted setting but the API still returns data to non-members
  4. Review API access logs
    Check GitLab production logs (typically in /var/log/gitlab/gitlab-rails/production.json.log) for API requests to `/api/v4/projects/*/releases` originating from users who are not project members
    Affected if Such requests are logged as successful (HTTP 200) when they should be rejected based on visibility settings

A user is affected if their GitLab version is within the affected ranges AND the releases API endpoint returns information to non-project members despite releases visibility being restricted to project members only.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 15.7.8 / 15.8.4 / 15.9.2 or later
Fixed in 15.7.815.8.415.9.2
Interim mitigation

Upgrade GitLab to version 15.7.9, 15.8.5, or 15.9.3 or later. If immediate upgrade is not possible, restrict API access to trusted users and monitor for unauthorized release description access.

Recommended fix High confidence

15.7.8, 15.8.4, or 15.9.2 (or latest stable release)

  1. 1. Identify the current GitLab version by running `sudo gitlab-rake gitlab:env:info` or checking the Admin Area > Dashboard
  2. 2. Determine which upgrade path applies based on current version (15.5.x to 15.7.x -> upgrade to 15.7.8; 15.8.x -> upgrade to 15.8.4; 15.9.x -> upgrade to 15.9.2)
  3. 3. Back up the GitLab database and repositories before upgrading
  4. 4. Update GitLab using the official upgrade method (e.g., `apt update && apt install gitlab-ce` for Debian/Ubuntu, or `yum install gitlab-ce` for RHEL/CentOS)
  5. 5. After upgrade, verify the instance is running with `sudo gitlab-ctl status`
  6. 6. Confirm the fix by testing that non-project members can no longer access release descriptions via API when visibility is restricted to project members
Caveat Minor version upgrades typically have minimal breaking changes, but review GitLab release notes for any known issues before upgrading

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in GitLab Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
13.0 hours of engineering $2,280
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-0223 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

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.

What belongs here
  • 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
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data