CVE-2023-2576Public exploitNetwork attack vector

Protected-branch modification via ambiguous Git ref resolution

Published Jul 13, 2023 · Updated Oct 30, 2024

Incorrect authorization in GitLab 13.7 through 15.11.9, 16.0 through 16.0.5, and 16.1.0 allows developers to bypass CODEOWNERS. A tag sharing the protected branch's name takes precedence during ambiguous Git ref resolution, so the approval check reads the tag instead of the branch. Developer access plus a non-default protected branch with required Code Owner approval is enough to merge unapproved changes without maintainer interaction.

CVSS severity4.3
Medium
EPSS probability0.47%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Incorrect authorization in GitLab 13.7 through 15.11.9, 16.0 through 16.0.5, and 16.1.0 allows developers to bypass CODEOWNERS. A tag sharing the protected branch's name takes precedence during ambiguous Git ref resolution, so the approval check reads the tag instead of the branch. Developer access plus a non-default protected branch with required Code Owner approval is enough to merge unapproved changes without maintainer interaction.

The record

CVE
CVE-2023-2576
Published
Jul 13, 2023
Updated
Oct 30, 2024
Vendor
GitLab
Product
GitLab
Classifications
CWE-863, T1565.001
Attack vector
network
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Jul 13, 2023CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Oct 30, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.

Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=13.7 <15.11.10
  2. Affected versionversion=16.0 <16.0.6
  3. Affected versionversion=16.1 <16.1.1

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectornetwork
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

GitLab · GitLabversion=13.7 <15.11.10; version=16.0 <16.0.6; version=16.1 <16.1.1

Published CVSS scores

4.3GitLab Inc.CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectornetwork
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitPublished

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-863Incorrect Authorization
T1565.001Stored Data Manipulation

Public exploit references

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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