GitLabApplication
CVE-2023-6680
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 certificate validation issue in Smartcard authentication in GitLab EE affecting all versions from 11.6 prior to 16.4.4, 16.5 prior to 16.5.4, and 16.6 prior to 16.6.2 allows an attacker to authenticate as another user given their public key if they use Smartcard authentication. Smartcard authentication is an experimental feature and has to be manually enabled by an administrator.
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 EE fails to properly validate certificates during Smartcard authentication, allowing an attacker with a target user's public key to authenticate as that user. This is a classic improper certificate validation vulnerability (CWE-295) in the experimental Smartcard authentication feature.
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
>= 11.6, < 16.4.4>= 16.5, < 16.5.4>= 16.6, < 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
- High
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Check installed GitLab versionRun 'gitlab-rake gitlab:env:info' or check the GitLab admin panel under Help > Version, or check /opt/gitlab/version for omnibus installationsAffected if Version is 11.6 to 16.4.3, 16.5.0 to 16.5.3, or 16.6.0 to 16.6.1 (note: 16.4.4, 16.5.4, and 16.6.2 are fixed)
-
Verify Smartcard authentication is enabledCheck the GitLab configuration file (gitlab.rb) for the setting 'gitlab_rails["smartcard_auth_enabled"]' or check via GitLab admin UI under Settings > AuthenticationAffected if Smartcard authentication is enabled in the configuration
User is affected if GitLab version is in one of the vulnerable ranges AND the experimental Smartcard authentication feature is enabled
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. If Smartcard authentication is not required, disable this experimental feature until the upgrade can be performed.
16.6.2 or later (recommended)
- Verify if Smartcard authentication is enabled in your GitLab instance (it is an experimental feature requiring manual administrator enablement)
- Plan your upgrade considering your current version and GitLab's upgrade path documentation
- Upgrade GitLab to version 16.6.2 or later (alternatively 16.5.4 if on 16.5.x branch, or 16.4.4 if on 16.4.x branch)
- After upgrade, verify Smartcard authentication continues to function correctly
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
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,800.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-6680 — 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-2023-6680 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