GitLabApplication
CVE-2023-5512
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 issue has been discovered in GitLab CE/EE affecting all versions from 16.3 before 16.4.4, all versions starting from 16.5 before 16.5.4, all versions starting from 16.6 before 16.6.2. File integrity may be compromised when specific HTML encoding is used for file names leading for incorrect representation in the UI.
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 confidenceGitLab CE/EE contains a vulnerability where specific HTML encoding used in file names can cause incorrect representation in the UI, potentially compromising file integrity visibility. The issue allows maliciously crafted file names with HTML encoding to display differently than their actual names, which could mislead users about file contents.
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
>= 16.3.0, < 16.4.4>= 16.5.0, < 16.5.4>= 16.6.0, < 16.6.2CVSS 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
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/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.
-
Determine your GitLab versionRun `sudo gitlab-rake gitlab:env:info` or check the GitLab admin area under Help > Version. Alternatively, check the /opt/gitlab/version-efile or your package manager.Affected if The installed version falls within any of these ranges: >= 16.3.0 and < 16.4.4, OR >= 16.5.0 and < 16.5.4, OR >= 16.6.0 and < 16.6.2
-
Verify file name rendering in web UIUpload or access a test file with HTML-encoded characters in its name (such as a file name containing < or other HTML entities) through the web interface. Compare what is displayed in the file browser against the actual file name.Affected if The displayed file name differs from the actual file name stored in the repository, indicating HTML entities are being interpreted rather than displayed as-is
-
Check for suspicious file names in repositoriesUse the GitLab API or web UI to list files in any repository. Look for file names that contain character sequences like &, <, >, or ; which are common HTML encoding patterns.Affected if File names with HTML-encoding-like patterns exist in repositories and the GitLab UI renders them differently than their stored values
You are affected if your GitLab version is within the vulnerable ranges AND your UI displays file names differently than their stored values, particularly for file names containing HTML entities.
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 · scoped16.4.416.5.416.6.2
Upgrade GitLab to version 16.4.4, 16.5.4, or 16.6.2 or later to resolve the file name encoding issue.
16.6.2 (or latest 16.6.x); alternatively 16.5.4 or 16.4.4 for respective version branches
- 1. Back up your GitLab instance data and configuration
- 2. Check your current GitLab version using `gitlab-rake gitlab:env:info`
- 3. For GitLab installations using Omnibus: run `gitlab-ctl stop` to stop services
- 4. Update your package manager and install the updated GitLab package for your version branch
- 5. For Omnibus: run `gitlab-ctl reconfigure` to apply changes
- 6. Start GitLab services with `gitlab-ctl start`
- 7. Verify the upgrade by checking the version with `gitlab-rake gitlab:env:info`
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in GitLab
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,536.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-5512 — 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-2023-5512 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