Enterprise ServerApplication · GitHub
CVE-2024-6800
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 XML signature wrapping vulnerability was present in GitHub Enterprise Server (GHES) when using SAML authentication with specific identity providers utilizing publicly exposed signed federation metadata XML. This vulnerability allowed an attacker with direct network access to GitHub Enterprise Server 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 3.14 and was fixed in versions 3.13.3, 3.12.8, 3.11.14, and 3.10.16. 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 confidenceAn XML signature wrapping vulnerability in GitHub Enterprise Server's SAML authentication allows attackers to forge SAML responses and gain unauthorized admin access. The flaw exploits how GHES processes signed federation metadata XML from identity providers, enabling authentication bypass without prior credentials.
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
>= 3.10.0, < 3.10.16>= 3.11.0, < 3.11.14>= 3.12.0, < 3.12.8>= 3.13.0, < 3.13.3CVSS 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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Determine GitHub Enterprise Server versionAccess the GitHub Enterprise Server admin console and navigate to the Site admin dashboard, or run 'ghe-version' from the management shell. Note the exact version number.Affected if The installed version falls within any of these ranges: 3.10.0 to 3.10.15, 3.11.0 to 3.11.13, 3.12.0 to 3.12.7, or 3.13.0 to 3.13.2
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Confirm SAML authentication is enabledIn the admin console, go to Authentication > SAML and verify that SAML single sign-on is configured and enabled for the instance.Affected if SAML authentication is enabled and the version check above shows a vulnerable version.
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Review audit logs for admin account creationIn the admin console, access the Audit log and search for events involving user account creation with the 'site_admin' role, or look for events containing 'admin' and 'create' from unfamiliar IP addresses or identity providers.Affected if New site administrator accounts appear in audit logs that were not created through expected administrative processes.
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Check for unexpected SAML identity provider activityReview SAML IdP logs and GitHub audit logs for authentication attempts or session creations from unfamiliar service providers, or for duplicate SAML response signatures that may indicate wrapping attacks.Affected if SAML responses show duplicate message IDs, unexpected origin IPs, or authentication attempts from IdPs not recognized in your configuration.
You are affected if GitHub Enterprise Server is running a version within the affected ranges AND SAML authentication is enabled; check audit logs for unauthorized admin account creation as a sign of exploitation.
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 · scoped3.10.163.11.143.12.8
Upgrade to GHES version 3.13.3, 3.12.8, 3.11.14, or 3.10.16 or later. Review existing admin accounts for unauthorized modifications and audit identity provider federation metadata accessibility.
Upgrade to 3.10.16 (if on 3.10.x), 3.11.14 (if on 3.11.x), 3.12.8 (if on 3.12.x), or 3.13.3 (if on 3.13.x). Versions before 3.10.x should upgrade to 3.10.16 as the minimum fixed release.
- Identify the current GitHub Enterprise Server version by navigating to the admin console or running: grep -E '^version:' /etc/github/config.yml
- Determine the appropriate upgrade path based on current version (see upgrade_path)
- Take a complete backup of the GitHub Enterprise Server instance, including database and storage
- Schedule a maintenance window for the upgrade
- For AWS-based instances, create an AMI backup before proceeding
- Follow the GitHub Enterprise Server upgrade procedure: Download the upgrade package from enterprise.github.com, run: sudo bash /path/to/github-enterprise-version.x86_64.pkg, then sudo ghe-upgrade /var/opt/github-enterprise/github-enterprise*.pkg
- Verify the upgrade completed successfully by checking the version at /setup/api/startup-status
- Verify SAML authentication is functioning correctly after upgrade
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Enterprise Server
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing3.0 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 $3,984.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-6800 — 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-2024-6800 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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