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Enterprise ServerApplication · GitHub

CVE-2023-22381

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-03-02
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 3.4.15 / 3.5.12 or later.
See remediation →
94/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable 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
A code injection vulnerability was identified in GitHub Enterprise Server that allowed setting arbitrary environment variables from a single environment variable value in GitHub Actions when using a Windows based runner. To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker would need existing permission to control the value of environment variables for use with GitHub Actions. This vulnerability affected all versions of GitHub Enterprise Server prior to 3.8.0 and was fixed in versions 3.4.15, 3.5.12, 3.6.8, 3.7.5. 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 confidence

Code injection vulnerability in GitHub Enterprise Server allows setting arbitrary environment variables from a single environment variable value in GitHub Actions when using Windows-based runners. An attacker with existing permission to control environment variable values can inject/override additional environment variables that affect subsequent command execution.

MitigationUpgrade GitHub Enterprise Server to version 3.4.15, 3.5.12, 3.6.8, 3.7.5, or 3.8.0 or later. If upgrade is not immediately feasible, restrict or audit who can control GitHub Actions environment variables on Windows runners.

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
Affected:< 3.4.15>= 3.5.0, < 3.5.12>= 3.6.0, < 3.6.8>= 3.7.0, < 3.7.5

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
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/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 checks

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

  1. Identify the GitHub product
    Confirm you are running GitHub Enterprise Server (GHES) and not GitHub.com or GitHub AE. Check your support portal or admin dashboard for the product name.
    Affected if The product is GitHub Enterprise Server and the version falls within the affected ranges.
  2. Determine the installed version
    Access the GitHub Enterprise Server admin center and navigate to the 'About' section or check the version via the management console. Alternatively, check system documentation or the version file if accessible.
    Affected if The installed version is: < 3.4.15 OR >= 3.5.0 AND < 3.5.12 OR >= 3.6.0 AND < 3.6.8 OR >= 3.7.0 AND < 3.7.5.
  3. Identify Windows-based runners in use
    Review your GitHub Actions workflow configurations and runner settings. Check if any self-hosted runners or GitHub-hosted Windows runners are configured or used for workflows in your organization.
    Affected if Windows-based runners are actively used or configured for GitHub Actions workflows.
  4. Review permissions for environment variable control
    Audit who has permissions to create or modify GitHub Actions workflows. Check repository and organization-level settings for 'Actions' permissions and review which users can set environment variables in workflow files.
    Affected if Users or external contributors have permission to define or influence environment variable values in GitHub Actions workflows.

You are affected if you run a vulnerable GitHub Enterprise Server version (3.4.x before 3.4.15, 3.5.x before 3.5.12, 3.6.x before 3.6.8, or 3.7.x before 3.7.5) AND have Windows-based runners enabled for GitHub Actions AND users can control environment variable values in those workflows.

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 3.4.15 / 3.5.12 / 3.6.8 or later
Fixed in 3.4.153.5.123.6.8
Interim mitigation

Upgrade GitHub Enterprise Server to version 3.4.15, 3.5.12, 3.6.8, 3.7.5, or 3.8.0 or later. If upgrade is not immediately feasible, restrict or audit who can control GitHub Actions environment variables on Windows runners.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to version 3.4.15, 3.5.12, 3.6.8, 3.7.5, or the latest 3.x release (3.8.0 or later)

  1. 1. Identify the current GitHub Enterprise Server version by navigating to the admin console or running: ghe-version
  2. 2. Based on the current version, determine the appropriate upgrade path to a fixed release (3.4.15, 3.5.12, 3.6.8, or 3.7.5)
  3. 3. Review the GitHub Enterprise Server upgrade prerequisites and backup requirements in the official documentation
  4. 4. Create a backup of the GitHub Enterprise Server instance before proceeding with the upgrade
  5. 5. Schedule a maintenance window as upgrades require downtime
  6. 6. Download the appropriate upgrade package from the GitHub Enterprise Server downloads page
  7. 7. Follow the standard upgrade procedure for GitHub Enterprise Server: Run the upgrade script or use the admin console to apply the update
  8. 8. After upgrade completes, verify the new version is running: ghe-version
Caveat Review GitHub Enterprise Server release notes for breaking changes between your current version and target upgrade version; some upgrades may require intermediate steps

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
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,080
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An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,328.

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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-2023-22381 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