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GitLabApplication

CVE-2023-5933

MEDIUM · 5.4 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-01-26
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 16.6.6 / 16.7.4 or later.
See remediation →
58/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable

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 CE/EE affecting all versions after 13.7 before 16.6.6, 16.7 prior to 16.7.4, and 16.8 prior to 16.8.1. Improper input sanitization of user name allows arbitrary API PUT requests.

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

Improper input sanitization of usernames in GitLab CE/EE allows authenticated users to make arbitrary API PUT requests. This authorization bypass stems from insufficient validation of user-supplied input in the username field.

MitigationUpgrade GitLab to version 16.6.6, 16.7.4, 16.8.1 or later to remediate the input sanitization 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:>= 13.7.0, < 16.6.6>= 16.7.0, < 16.7.4= 16.8.0

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
Required
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/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. Determine installed GitLab version
    Run 'cat /opt/gitlab/version' on the GitLab server, or use 'sudo gitlab-rake gitlab:env:info', or check the Admin Area > Settings > Metrics and profiling > Version in the web UI
    Affected if The version is >= 13.7.0 and < 16.6.6, OR >= 16.7.0 and < 16.7.4, OR exactly 16.8.0
  2. Confirm API access is enabled
    Verify that the GitLab API is accessible by checking if the /api/v4 endpoint responds. In the web UI, go to Admin Area > Settings > API > Access tokens and confirm API functionality is not explicitly disabled
    Affected if API access is available and authenticated users can make API requests
  3. Review API audit logs for unauthorized PUT requests
    Check GitLab audit logs: Admin Area > Audit Events, or search production logs (/var/log/gitlab/gitlab-rails/production.log) for PUT requests to /api/v4/users endpoints. Look for requests modifying user attributes by authenticated users who should not have those permissions
    Affected if Audit logs show PUT requests to user endpoints that were initiated by users without proper authorization for those specific user modifications

Your environment is affected if GitLab version falls within the affected ranges AND API access is available to authenticated users, particularly if audit logs reveal unauthorized user modification requests.

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 16.6.6 / 16.7.4 or later
Fixed in 16.6.616.7.4
Interim mitigation

Upgrade GitLab to version 16.6.6, 16.7.4, 16.8.1 or later to remediate the input sanitization vulnerability.

Recommended fix High confidence

GitLab 16.8.1 or later (latest 16.x stable)

  1. 1. Back up your GitLab instance database and configuration files
  2. 2. Plan maintenance window as upgrade may require downtime
  3. 3. For package-based installations (Omnibus): Run 'gitlab-ctl stop' to stop services
  4. 4. Update GitLab package to version 16.8.1 or later (recommended: latest 16.x stable release)
  5. 5. For Omnibus: Run 'apt-get update && apt-get install gitlab-ce' or 'yum install gitlab-ce'
  6. 6. Reconfigure GitLab: run 'gitlab-ctl reconfigure'
  7. 7. Verify upgrade: run 'gitlab-rake gitlab:env:info' to confirm new version
  8. 8. Test that API endpoints work correctly and user names render properly
Caveat Major version upgrades may require database migrations; review GitLab upgrade notes for any breaking changes between your current version and target version

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

Fix this in GitLab Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,490
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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-2023-5933 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