Enterprise ServerApplication · GitHub
CVE-2024-4985
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 authentication bypass vulnerability was present in the GitHub Enterprise Server (GHES) when utilizing SAML single sign-on authentication with the optional encrypted assertions feature. This vulnerability allowed an attacker to forge a SAML response to provision and/or gain access to a user with site administrator privileges. Exploitation of this vulnerability would allow unauthorized access to the instance without requiring prior authentication. This vulnerability affected all versions of GitHub Enterprise Server prior to 3.13.0 and was fixed in versions 3.9.15, 3.10.12, 3.11.10 and 3.12.4. This vulnerability was reported via the GitHub Bug Bounty program.
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 confidenceAuthentication bypass vulnerability in GitHub Enterprise Server when using SAML SSO with optional encrypted assertions feature. An attacker can forge a SAML response to provision or gain access to a user with site administrator privileges without requiring prior authentication.
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
< 3.9.15>= 3.10.0, < 3.10.12>= 3.11.0, < 3.11.10>= 3.12.0, < 3.12.4CVSS 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
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/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.
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Verify GitHub Enterprise Server versionCheck the installed version of GitHub Enterprise Server through the administrative web UI (Management Console > About) or by running 'ghe-version' from the administrative SSH shellAffected if The installed version falls within any of these ranges: < 3.9.15, >= 3.10.0 and < 3.10.12, >= 3.11.0 and < 3.11.10, or >= 3.12.0 and < 3.12.4
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Confirm SAML SSO is enabledNavigate to the Management Console, go to Authentication > SAML, and verify that SAML single sign-on is configured and enabledAffected if SAML SSO is actively configured and in use on the instance
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Check if encrypted assertions is enabledIn the SAML configuration settings within Management Console (Authentication > SAML), look for the 'Require encrypted assertions' or 'Encrypted assertions' option and verify whether it is enabled or disabledAffected if Encrypted assertions is disabled or not enforced (the vulnerability applies when this optional feature is not properly enforced)
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Review for unauthorized site administrator accountsIn the administrative web UI, go to Site admin > Users and filter for users with 'Site administrator' role. Cross-reference creation dates and source IP addresses in authentication logs to identify accounts created or modified outside expected patternsAffected if There are site administrator accounts that were created or modified without legitimate administrative action
The environment is affected if GitHub Enterprise Server is running an affected version AND SAML SSO is configured with encrypted assertions disabled or not enforced, allowing potential unauthorized admin access.
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 · scoped3.9.153.10.123.11.10
Upgrade GitHub Enterprise Server to version 3.9.15, 3.10.12, 3.11.10, 3.12.4, or 3.13.0+. Review SAML configuration and audit logs for signs of exploitation until patching is complete.
Upgrade to version 3.9.15 (for 3.9.x line), 3.10.12 (for 3.10.x line), 3.11.10 (for 3.11.x line), 3.12.4 (for 3.12.x line), or latest 3.13+ release
- 1. Backup your GitHub Enterprise Server instance data and configuration before upgrading
- 2. Review GitHub Enterprise Server release notes for your target version to understand new features and any migration requirements
- 3. Download the appropriate GitHub Enterprise Server upgrade package for your version path (3.9.x, 3.10.x, 3.11.x, or 3.12.x)
- 4. Follow the standard GitHub Enterprise Server upgrade procedure: stop the instance services, apply the upgrade package, verify the upgrade completed successfully
- 5. After upgrade, verify that SAML authentication with encrypted assertions is functioning correctly
- 6. Test that user provisioning and administrative access via SAML SSO works as expected
- 7. Review audit logs to confirm normal authentication behavior
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Enterprise Server
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation6.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing8.0 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 $8,448.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-4985 — 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-2024-4985 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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