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NVD / CVE Program· CNA GitLab

CVE-2023-5612: Missing Authorization in GitLab

Noroxi assessment

Priority: This week (action score 60/100)

  • A ready-made attack module is public (Metasploit); exploiting it takes no special expertise.
  • A ready-made attack tool exists and the flaw can be exploited over the network without an account, so priority is at least “This week”.
  • Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 4.8% (FIRST EPSS); higher than 92% of all records.
  • Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it. No account or password is required. No user action is required. No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
  • According to CISA the attack is automatable: targets can be found by mass scanning.
  • Fixed version: GitLab GitLab 16.6.6, 16.7.4, 16.8.1.
  • Mentioned 1 time in Turkish national cyber security advisories (siberguvenlik.gov.tr).

Don’t wait for the next maintenance window. Upgrade to GitLab GitLab 16.6.6, 16.7.4, 16.8.1 or later.

Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it

Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · FIRST EPSS

An issue has been discovered in GitLab affecting all versions before 16.6.6, 16.7 prior to 16.7.4, and 16.8 prior to 16.8.1. It was possible to read the user email address via tags feed although the visibility in the user profile has been disabled.

MediumCVSS 5.3 · v3.1—Weaponized Fix available
Published
Jan 25, 2024
Updated
Aug 14, 2026
EPSS
4.8% · 92th percentile

Report tools

JSON

Action score

60

This week

Don’t wait for the next maintenance window.

CVSS
21 / 40 · 5.3 / 10
CISA KEV
0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS
1 / 30 · 4.8%
Ready-made attack tool
38 / 60 · floor: at least 60

CISA SSVC decision

Exploitation
none
Automatable
yes
Technical impact
partial

Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.

CNA vs NVD score

NVD
5.3
CNA · GitLab
5.3
agree

The score given by the assigning authority versus NVD’s independent score. A gap means the severity is contested.

Get told when this record changes

  • Not in KEV: no record of exploitation in the wild
  • Weaponized exploit exists
  • A fix has been released

If any of these changes, we'll tell you in the daily email digest.

Follow CVE-2023-5612

When you'll hear from us

  • when it enters CISA KEV
  • when exploit code appears or is weaponized
  • when the record is updated (including a fixed version)
  • when EPSS rises 20 points in a week

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Noroxi analysis

What does it mean in your environment?

The assessment above is generated automatically from the record's data; it doesn't know your environment. Our team verifies on your systems whether this vulnerability is actually exploitable and which mitigation is enough.

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Affected systems

Is your version affected?

Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.

VendorProduct
gitlabgitlab

Affected versions

NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.

  • gitlab gitlabbefore 16.6.6
  • gitlab gitlab16.7.0 and later · before 16.7.4
  • gitlab gitlab16.8.0

Versions reported by the vendor

Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (GitLab). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.

  • GitLab GitLab

    • before 16.6.6affected · semver
    • 16.7 and later · before 16.7.4affected · semver
    • 16.8 and later · before 16.8.1affected · semver

Same product

gitlab: all records

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

  • CVE-2021-22205An issue has been discovered in GitLab CE/EE affecting all versions starting from 11.9.KEV
    100Now
  • CVE-2026-85706Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') in GitLabKEV
    99Now
  • CVE-2023-7028Weak Password Recovery Mechanism for Forgotten Password in GitLabKEV
    97Now

Published before and after this one in the same product

  • ← EarlierCVE-2024-0402Jan 25, 2024 · Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') in GitLab
    40Plan
  • ← EarlierCVE-2024-0456Jan 25, 2024 · Direct Request ('Forced Browsing') in GitLab
    17Monitor
  • Later →CVE-2023-6159Jan 25, 2024 · Inefficient Regular Expression Complexity in GitLab
    26Monitor

Remediation

Which version to upgrade to

Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.

Product / packageFixed versionSource
GitLab GitLab16.6.6Vendor (CNA)
GitLab GitLab16.7.4Vendor (CNA)
GitLab GitLab16.8.1Vendor (CNA)

Exploit status

Weaponized

A ready exploit tool or active in-the-wild use is known for this vulnerability. This should be your top priority.

Evidence

  • Metasploit module ×1
  • Proof-of-concept repository on GitHub ×2

Noroxi does not host or link to exploit code. Metasploit module names and Nuclei template ids are shown (names, not code); Exploit-DB entries and PoC repositories are given as counts only.

Public exploit evidence
SourceKindDate
Metasploit moduleauxiliary/gather/gitlab_tags_rss_feed_email_disclosureGitLab Tags RSS feed email disclosureauxiliary2024-01-25
Proof-of-concept repository on GitHubstars:02025-06-05
Proof-of-concept repository on GitHubstars:02025-09-14

Research context

For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.

Timeline

From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.

  1. Metasploit-1 d
  2. Published
  3. First PoC+496 d
  4. TodayNov 5, 2026+1015 d

No history yet (it accumulates with the daily EPSS job).

Patch and commit links

Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.

No commit or PR link among the references.

Credits

All researchers

Finders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.

Variant candidates

Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.

  • CVE-2025-5121512 days apartMissing Authorization in GitLab
    43Plan
  • CVE-2024-8114306 days apartMissing Authorization in GitLab
    35Monitor
  • CVE-2023-0805267 days apartAn issue has been discovered in GitLab EE affecting all versions starting from 15.2 before 15.9.6, all versions starting from 15.10 before 1
    32Monitor
  • CVE-2024-4660231 days apartMissing Authorization in GitLab
    30Monitor
  • CVE-2023-684013 days apartMissing Authorization in GitLab
    26Monitor
  • CVE-2023-470080 days apartMissing Authorization in GitLab
    26Monitor

Chain candidates

An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.

—

Bug bounty scope

The product’s vendor appears in a public program. Matched by name; verify the scope text in the program.

National notice (Türkiye Cybersecurity Directorate / USOM)

Official security notices citing this record; remediation advice is on the agency's page.

All national notices →

Technical details

Attack conditions

  • Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it.
  • No account or password is required.
  • No user action is required.
  • No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.

If successful

Confidentiality
low · data can be read
Integrity
none
Availability
none
Attack vector
Network
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality impact
Low
Integrity impact
None
Availability impact
None

Weakness class (CWE)

CWE-862 · Missing Authorization

CVSS vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N

nvd-primary

Attack context

MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.

Change log

  1. Fix✗ → ✓

For records you follow, these changes also arrive as notifications. →

References

Show all references (2 more)

Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.

All records