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GitLabApplication

CVE-2023-0518

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-02-13
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 15.6.7 / 15.7.6 or later.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
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 CE/EE affecting all versions starting from 14.0 before 15.6.7, all versions starting from 15.7 before 15.7.6, all versions starting from 15.8 before 15.8.1. It was possible to trigger a DoS attack by uploading a malicious Helm chart.

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 CE/EE contains a denial-of-service vulnerability in its Helm chart package registry functionality. Attackers can upload a specially crafted malicious Helm chart file that triggers excessive resource consumption or crashes the service, making it unavailable.

MitigationUpgrade GitLab to version 15.8.1 or later (or 15.6.7/15.7.6 for respective older branches). Until patched, restrict Helm chart upload permissions to trusted users only.

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:>= 14.0, < 15.6.7>= 15.7, < 15.7.6>= 15.8, < 15.8.1

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
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

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

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

  1. Check your GitLab version
    Log into the GitLab admin area and navigate to Admin Dashboard > Overview > Version, or use the API endpoint GET /api/v4/version, or run `gitlab-ctl version` on the server
    Affected if The installed version falls within any of these ranges: 14.0 to 15.6.6, 15.7.0 to 15.7.5, or 15.8.0
  2. Verify Helm chart package registry is accessible
    Navigate to a project's Package Registry section in the UI, or check via API: GET /api/v4/projects/:id/packages/helm
    Affected if The Helm chart feature is enabled and users can access the Helm chart repository endpoint (typically at /api/v4/projects/:id/packages/helm/:channel/-/chart.tgz)
  3. Confirm users have Helm chart upload permissions
    Check project or group settings under Package Registry > Helm charts to see if package upload permissions are granted to developers or maintainers, or review user roles with access to upload packages
    Affected if Users with Developer, Maintainer, or Owner roles (or custom roles with package upload ability) can upload Helm charts to the registry

You are affected if your GitLab version is in the vulnerable range AND the Helm chart package registry is enabled and accessible to users who can upload charts.

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 15.6.7 / 15.7.6 / 15.8.1 or later
Fixed in 15.6.715.7.615.8.1
Interim mitigation

Upgrade GitLab to version 15.8.1 or later (or 15.6.7/15.7.6 for respective older branches). Until patched, restrict Helm chart upload permissions to trusted users only.

Recommended fix High confidence

15.8.1 (or 15.7.6, or 15.6.7 depending on your starting version)

  1. Determine your current GitLab installation method (Omnibus, Docker, source, or GitLab.com)
  2. Back up your GitLab instance data before proceeding with the upgrade
  3. Plan your upgrade path: if currently on 14.x, upgrade to 15.6.7 first, then to a supported stable release
  4. If on 15.7.x, upgrade directly to 15.7.6 or higher
  5. If on 15.8.x, upgrade to 15.8.1 or higher
  6. For self-managed Omnibus installations: sudo gitlab-ctl tailboard upgrade and monitor for errors
  7. For Docker installations: Pull the new image and recreate containers
  8. Verify the Helm chart upload functionality works correctly after upgrade
Caveat Major version upgrades may require intermediate steps; review GitLab upgrade documentation for path requirements

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

Fix this in GitLab Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,040
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,664.

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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-2023-0518 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