Enterprise ServerApplication · GitHub
CVE-2023-6804
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 · uneditedImproper privilege management allowed arbitrary workflows to be committed and run using an improperly scoped PAT. To exploit this, a workflow must have already existed in the target repo. This vulnerability affected all versions of GitHub Enterprise Server since 3.8 and was fixed in version 3.8.12, 3.9.7, 3.10.4, and 3.11.1.
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 confidenceThis is a privilege management vulnerability in GitHub Enterprise Server where an improperly scoped Personal Access Token (PAT) could be used to commit and run arbitrary workflows, provided a workflow already existed in the target repository. The vulnerability allowed privilege escalation by enabling PATs with insufficient permissions to trigger existing workflows.
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
Enterprise ServerApplication
>= 3.8.0, < 3.8.12>= 3.9.0, < 3.9.7>= 3.10.0, < 3.10.4= 3.11.0CVSS 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
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/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.
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Identify GitHub Enterprise Server versionAccess the GitHub Enterprise Server management console or run 'ghe-version' via SSH to the appliance. Alternatively, check the About page in the administrative UI.Affected if Version falls within >= 3.8.0 and < 3.8.12, OR >= 3.9.0 and < 3.9.7, OR >= 3.10.0 and < 3.10.4, OR equals 3.11.0
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Review existing workflow filesSearch repository directories for .github/workflows/*.yml or .gitlab/workflows/*.yml files. Use repository auditing tools or GitHub CLI 'gh run list' to enumerate configured workflows across the instance.Affected if Any repository contains one or more workflow files that could be triggered by a PAT
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Assess PAT usage and scopesAudit Personal Access Token configurations via the GitHub Enterprise Server admin settings. Review which tokens have which scopes, particularly workflow-related permissions.Affected if PATs with write-access to repositories are in use, enabling potential triggering of existing workflows
The environment is affected if GitHub Enterprise Server version is within the affected ranges AND existing workflows exist in any repository AND PATs are being used with sufficient access to trigger those workflows.
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 · scoped3.8.123.9.73.10.4
Upgrade GitHub Enterprise Server to version 3.8.12, 3.9.7, 3.10.4, or 3.11.1 (or later) to remediate this vulnerability.
3.11.1
- 1. Back up your GitHub Enterprise Server instance and database before starting the upgrade.
- 2. Review the official GitHub Enterprise Server upgrade documentation for your current version.
- 3. Plan maintenance window - GitHub Enterprise Server upgrades typically require downtime.
- 4. Download the appropriate upgrade package for your target fixed version (3.8.12, 3.9.7, 3.10.4, or 3.11.1).
- 5. Follow the documented upgrade procedure to apply the new version.
- 6. After upgrade, verify the instance is operational and review audit logs to confirm no unauthorized workflow executions occurred.
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Enterprise Server
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,120.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-6804 — 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-2023-6804 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
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- 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
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