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Enterprise ServerApplication · GitHub

CVE-2023-46647

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-12-21
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 3.8.12 / 3.9.6 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
Improper privilege management in all versions of GitHub Enterprise Server allows users with authorized access to the management console with an editor role to escalate their privileges by making requests to the endpoint used for bootstrapping the instance. This vulnerability affected GitHub Enterprise Server version 3.8.0 and above and was fixed in version 3.8.12, 3.9.6, 3.10.3, and 3.11.0.

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

A privilege escalation vulnerability exists in GitHub Enterprise Server where users with management console access and an 'editor' role can make requests to the bootstrapping endpoint to elevate their privileges beyond what the editor role should permit. This allows unauthorized access to administrative functions.

MitigationUpdate GitHub Enterprise Server to version 3.8.12, 3.9.6, 3.10.3, or 3.11.0 to patch this vulnerability. As a temporary measure, limit management console access and monitor for unauthorized bootstrapping requests.

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:>= 3.8.0, < 3.8.12>= 3.9.0, < 3.9.6>= 3.10.0, < 3.10.3

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. Check GitHub Enterprise Server version
    Access the Management Console or use administrative SSH to run `ghe-version` command. The version is also displayed on the /setup page or in the admin dashboard under 'About' section.
    Affected if Installed version falls within 3.8.0 to 3.8.11, 3.9.0 to 3.9.5, or 3.10.0 to 3.10.2.
  2. Verify management console access configuration
    Check if the Management Console is enabled by reviewing authentication settings at /site-admin/settings or by checking the management_console settings via administrative API.
    Affected if Management Console is accessible and enabled.
  3. Identify users with editor role
    Review user roles in the site admin dashboard under /site-admin/users or use the administrative API to list users and their role assignments. Specifically look for users assigned the 'editor' role.
    Affected if Any user account has been assigned the 'editor' role.
  4. Audit access logs for bootstrapping endpoint requests
    Review HTTP access logs or audit logs for requests to the bootstrapping endpoint (typically /setup/api or similar initialization endpoints). Check for requests from editor role users that attempt to access administrative functions.
    Affected if Logs show requests from editor role users to the bootstrapping endpoint accessing privileged functions.

A user is affected if their GitHub Enterprise Server version is 3.8.0-3.8.11, 3.9.0-3.9.5, or 3.10.0-3.10.2 AND the management console is accessible with users assigned the editor role.

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 3.8.12 / 3.9.6 / 3.10.3 or later
Fixed in 3.8.123.9.63.10.3
Interim mitigation

Update GitHub Enterprise Server to version 3.8.12, 3.9.6, 3.10.3, or 3.11.0 to patch this vulnerability. As a temporary measure, limit management console access and monitor for unauthorized bootstrapping requests.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to 3.8.12, 3.9.6, 3.10.3, or 3.11.0 (3.11.0 recommended)

  1. 1. Back up your GitHub Enterprise Server instance data before proceeding with the upgrade.
  2. 2. Review the GitHub Enterprise Server release notes for your target version to understand any required migration steps.
  3. 3. Download the appropriate fixed version from GitHub (3.8.12, 3.9.6, 3.10.3, or 3.11.0).
  4. 4. Follow GitHub's standard upgrade procedure for your installation method (VM or cloud deployment).
  5. 5. Verify the upgrade completed successfully by accessing the management console.
  6. 6. Confirm the vulnerability is remediated by ensuring editor-role users can no longer access the bootstrapping endpoint.
Caveat Review release notes for your version branch; some upgrades may require migration steps or have compatibility considerations

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

Fix this in Enterprise Server Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
21.0 hours of engineering $3,680
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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-2023-46647 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