CVE-2023-3444Public exploitNetwork attack vector

Unapproved protected-branch merge via stale CODEOWNERS approval

Published Jul 13, 2023 · Updated Nov 5, 2024

Incorrect authorization in GitLab 15.3 through 15.11.9, 16.0 through 16.0.5, and 16.1.0 allows remote authenticated users to merge unapproved code. When an approved merge request is force-pushed after an amend, GitLab leaves the prior CODEOWNERS approval attached instead of removing it for newly changed owned files. A project member able to push and merge must target a protected branch configured to require Code Owner approval and remove approvals when Code Owner files change.

CVSS severity5.7
Medium
EPSS probability0.52%
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 15.3 through 15.11.9, 16.0 through 16.0.5, and 16.1.0 allows remote authenticated users to merge unapproved code. When an approved merge request is force-pushed after an amend, GitLab leaves the prior CODEOWNERS approval attached instead of removing it for newly changed owned files. A project member able to push and merge must target a protected branch configured to require Code Owner approval and remove approvals when Code Owner files change.

The record

CVE
CVE-2023-3444
Published
Jul 13, 2023
Updated
Nov 5, 2024
Vendor
GitLab
Product
GitLab
Classifications
CWE-863, T1195.001
Attack vector
network
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Jul 13, 2023CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Nov 5, 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=15.3 <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=15.3 <15.11.10; version=16.0 <16.0.6; version=16.1 <16.1.1

Published CVSS scores

5.7GitLabCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
5.7NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/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
T1195.001Compromise Software Dependencies and Development Tools

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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