Enterprise ServerApplication · GitHub
CVE-2023-23761
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 authentication vulnerability was identified in GitHub Enterprise Server that allowed an unauthorized actor to modify other users' secret gists by authenticating through an SSH certificate authority. To do so, a user had to know the secret gist's URL. This vulnerability affected all versions of GitHub Enterprise Server prior to 3.9 and was fixed in versions 3.4.18, 3.5.15, 3.6.11, 3.7.8, and 3.8.1. 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 had an improper authentication vulnerability where users could modify other users' secret gists by authenticating through an SSH certificate authority, provided they knew the secret gist's URL. This allowed unauthorized cross-user write access to private gist content.
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
< 3.4.18>= 3.5.0, < 3.5.15>= 3.6.0, < 3.6.11>= 3.7.0, < 3.7.8= 3.8.0CVSS 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
- High
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Identify the installed GitHub Enterprise Server versionAccess the GitHub Enterprise Server management console or run 'ghe-version' via SSH to the appliance. Navigate to the Site Admin dashboard, then go to 'About' or use the Management Shell command line tool.Affected if The installed version is less than 3.4.18, or between 3.5.0 and 3.5.14, or between 3.6.0 and 3.6.10, or between 3.7.0 and 3.7.7, or exactly 3.8.0
-
Confirm SSH certificate authority is configuredIn the GitHub Enterprise Server admin interface, navigate to 'Settings' then 'SSH certificate authority' (or check via API: GET /enterprise/settings/certificate-authorities). Verify if any SSH CA has been added and enabled.Affected if An SSH certificate authority is enabled on the instance, allowing users to authenticate via SSH certificates
-
Review gist access and modification audit logsQuery the GitHub Enterprise audit log for gist-related events. Use the site admin dashboard to filter events by 'gist' action types, or use the API: GET /enterprise/audit-log with query parameters for gist events. Look for events where the actor used SSH certificate authentication.Affected if There are audit log entries showing gist modifications where the authenticated user does not match the gist owner, particularly using SSH certificate-based authentication
-
Check for secret gist URLs exposed in logs or configurationsSearch audit logs and system logs for access patterns to secret gist URLs. Review webhook deliveries, API access logs, and git operations involving gists to identify if secret gist URLs may have been accessed by unauthorized users.Affected if Evidence exists of gist modifications or accesses to secret gists where the actor is not the gist owner, especially in bulk or automated patterns
The environment is affected if the installed GitHub Enterprise Server version falls within the vulnerable ranges AND SSH certificate authority is enabled, allowing potential unauthorized modification of secret gists by authenticated certificate users.
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 · scoped3.4.183.5.153.6.11
Upgrade GitHub Enterprise Server to version 3.4.18, 3.5.15, 3.6.11, 3.7.8, 3.8.1, or 3.9 or later. Audit recent gist activity for unauthorized modifications.
Upgrade to version 3.4.18, 3.5.15, 3.6.11, 3.7.8, 3.8.1, or the latest stable release (3.9+) for the respective release line
- 1. Identify the current GitHub Enterprise Server version by navigating to the administrative interface or running: ghc server version
- 2. Based on the current version, determine the appropriate upgrade path to reach a fixed version
- 3. For versions < 3.4.18: Upgrade directly to version 3.4.18 or later
- 4. For versions >= 3.5.0 and < 3.5.15: Upgrade to version 3.5.15 or later
- 5. For versions >= 3.6.0 and < 3.6.11: Upgrade to version 3.6.11 or later
- 6. For versions >= 3.7.0 and < 3.7.8: Upgrade to version 3.7.8 or later
- 7. For versions >= 3.8.0 and < 3.8.1: Upgrade to version 3.8.1 or later
- 8. For versions >= 3.8.1 but < 3.9: Upgrade to version 3.9.0 or later (if available)
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
- Testing4.0 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 $4,224.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-23761 — 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-2023-23761 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
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data