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GitLabApplication

CVE-2023-4812

MEDIUM · 5.3 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-01-12
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 16.5.5 / 16.6.4 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 EE affecting all versions starting from 15.3 before 16.5.6, all versions starting from 16.6 before 16.6.4, all versions starting from 16.7 before 16.7.2. The required CODEOWNERS approval could be bypassed by adding changes to a previously approved merge request.

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 vulnerability in GitLab EE allows bypassing CODEOWNERS approval requirements by adding new changes to a previously approved merge request. The CODEOWNERS feature fails to re-evaluate approval requirements when additional commits are pushed to an already-approved MR, allowing unauthorized changes to proceed without required CODEOWNER review.

MitigationUpgrade GitLab EE to version 16.5.7, 16.6.5, 16.7.3, or later to patch this vulnerability.

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:>= 15.3.0, < 16.5.5>= 16.6.0, < 16.6.4= 16.7.0= 16.7.1

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
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/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. Check installed GitLab version
    Run `sudo gitlab-rake gitlab:version` or check the GitLab admin panel under Help > Version. Alternatively, check the /opt/gitlab/version.json file.
    Affected if The installed version falls within any of these ranges: >= 15.3.0 and < 16.5.5, OR >= 16.6.0 and < 16.6.4, OR equals 16.7.0 or 16.7.1
  2. Verify CODEOWNERS file exists in repositories
    Locate CODEOWNERS files in repository root or .gitlab/ directory. Search for files named CODEOWNERS across project repositories.
    Affected if CODEOWNERS files are present and the GitLab version is in the affected range
  3. Identify merge requests with approvals followed by new commits
    Query the GitLab API or database for merge requests where approved_before != approved_after, or where status changed from approved to not approved after new commits. Check MRs that show approval status and have subsequent commit activity.
    Affected if Merge requests exist that were approved and then received additional commits without requiring re-approval from CODEOWNERS
  4. Review CODEOWNERS approval configuration
    In GitLab admin settings, navigate to Repository > Protected branches > Code owner approval requirements. Check if any protected branches have CODEOWNER approval rules configured.
    Affected if CODEOWNER approval requirements are set on protected branches and the GitLab version is vulnerable

A user is affected if their GitLab EE version is 15.3.0 through 16.5.4, 16.6.0 through 16.6.3, or 16.7.0/16.7.1 AND they use CODEOWNERS with approval requirements on protected branches.

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 16.5.5 / 16.6.4 or later
Fixed in 16.5.516.6.4
Interim mitigation

Upgrade GitLab EE to version 16.5.7, 16.6.5, 16.7.3, or later to patch this vulnerability.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to GitLab 16.5.6 (or latest 16.5.x), 16.6.4 (or latest 16.6.x), or 16.7.2 (or latest 16.7.x) - prefer the latest stable release in each minor series

  1. 1. Determine current GitLab version by navigating to Admin Area > Overview > Dashboard or running `gitlab-rake gitlab:env:info`
  2. 2. Create a full backup of the GitLab instance using `gitlab-backup create`
  3. 3. Review GitLab upgrade documentation for your specific upgrade path
  4. 4. For installations using GitLab packages: Update using `sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install gitlab-ce` (or `gitlab-ee`)
  5. 5. For Docker installations: Pull the new image and recreate containers
  6. 6. For source installations: Clone the specific tag and rebuild
  7. 7. Verify the upgrade completed successfully by checking GitLab is operational
  8. 8. Confirm the version has been updated to one of the fixed releases: 16.5.6+, 16.6.4+, or 16.7.2+
Caveat GitLab minor version upgrades may have breaking changes; review release notes for any deprecated features or migration requirements before upgrading

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

Fix this in GitLab Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
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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-2023-4812 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