Authenticated package disclosure via disabled-registry authorization bypass
Published Dec 1, 2023 · Updated May 6, 2026
Incorrect authorization in affected GitLab releases allows remote authenticated users to download Composer packages from disabled registries. The group-level Composer API returns package metadata and permits archive retrieval without enforcing the project's Package Registry feature setting. Exploitation requires an ordinary GitLab account and a public group containing a public project with a previously published Composer package; the consequence is read-only disclosure of that package.
Summary
What happened
Incorrect authorization in affected GitLab releases allows remote authenticated users to download Composer packages from disabled registries. The group-level Composer API returns package metadata and permits archive retrieval without enforcing the project's Package Registry feature setting. Exploitation requires an ordinary GitLab account and a public group containing a public project with a previously published Composer package; the consequence is read-only disclosure of that package.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2023-3964
- Published
- Dec 1, 2023
- Updated
- May 6, 2026
- Vendor
- GitLab
- Product
- GitLab
- Classifications
- CWE-863
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Dec 1, 2023CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- May 6, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=13.2 <16.4.3
- Affected versionversion=16.5 <16.5.3
- Affected versionversion=16.6 <16.6.1
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
- GitLab Composer disabled-registry package retrieval proof of conceptproof of concept · demonstrated
Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.
Technologies
Your stack
See the directory against your own environment.
Your stack
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