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GitLabApplication

CVE-2023-6736

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-02-07
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 16.7.6 / 16.8.3 or later.
See remediation →
71/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
An issue has been discovered in GitLab EE affecting all versions starting from 11.3 before 16.7.6, all versions starting from 16.8 before 16.8.3, all versions starting from 16.9 before 16.9.1. It was possible for an attacker to cause a client-side denial of service using malicious crafted content in the CODEOWNERS file.

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 client-side denial of service vulnerability in GitLab EE allows attackers to embed malicious crafted content in CODEOWNERS files that causes the viewer's browser to crash or become unresponsive when the file is rendered in the GitLab UI.

MitigationUpgrade GitLab to version 16.7.6, 16.8.3, 16.9.1 or later to patch this vulnerability. As a temporary workaround, avoid opening untrusted CODEOWNERS files from unknown sources.

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:>= 11.3.0, < 16.7.6>= 16.8.0, < 16.8.3= 16.9.0

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
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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 installed GitLab version
    Run command: sudo gitlab-rake gitlab:env:info or check /opt/gitlab/version-manifest.txt, or look at the GitLab admin panel under Help > Version
    Affected if Version falls within ranges: >= 11.3.0 and < 16.7.6, OR >= 16.8.0 and < 16.8.3, OR equals 16.9.0
  2. Confirm GitLab edition is Enterprise Edition
    Check the admin panel under Admin Area > Settings > General, or run: sudo gitlab-rails runner 'puts Gitlab::Edition.to_s'
    Affected if Edition is 'EE' (Enterprise Edition) - this vulnerability only affects EE, not CE
  3. Verify CODEOWNERS file usage in repositories
    Search for CODEOWNERS files in repositories using the API: GET /projects/:id/repository/tree?path=CODEOWNERS or check if any repositories contain CODEOWNERS files via web UI or git ls-tree
    Affected if CODEOWNERS files exist and are viewable in the GitLab UI, creating exposure to maliciously crafted content

You are affected if you run GitLab EE version 11.3.0 through 16.7.5, 16.8.0 through 16.8.2, or 16.9.0, and your users can view CODEOWNERS files through the GitLab web interface.

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 16.7.6 / 16.8.3 or later
Fixed in 16.7.616.8.3
Interim mitigation

Upgrade GitLab to version 16.7.6, 16.8.3, 16.9.1 or later to patch this vulnerability. As a temporary workaround, avoid opening untrusted CODEOWNERS files from unknown sources.

Recommended fix High confidence

16.7.6, 16.8.3, or 16.9.1 (or later)

  1. 1. Backup your GitLab instance database and configuration before upgrading
  2. 2. Ensure you are currently running one of the affected versions: 11.3.0 to 16.7.5, 16.8.0 to 16.8.2, or 16.9.0
  3. 3. For GitLab installations using Omnibus: run 'sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install gitlab-ce' (or gitlab-ee) to upgrade to the latest patch version in your current minor series, then follow with upgrade to 16.7.6+, 16.8.3+, or 16.9.1+
  4. 4. For source installations: stop GitLab, navigate to the installation directory, run 'git pull', then run the upgrade commands for your installation method
  5. 5. After upgrade, verify the version by checking GitLab Admin Area > Diagnostics > Version Information
  6. 6. Test that the CODEOWNERS file parsing works correctly with normal content
Caveat Review GitLab release notes for breaking changes between your current version and target version 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
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,930
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,088.

Scan for this in your stack

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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-2023-6736 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