Repository view disruption via LF-bearing directory names
Published Aug 30, 2023 · Updated May 26, 2026
Denial of service in GitLab before 16.2.0 allows remote authenticated users to disrupt repository views via LF-bearing directory names. GitLab accepts a line-feed character in a committed directory path, after which commit and diff rendering passes the malformed path into Gitaly lookups and view code that return object-not-found errors or dereference nil. A project account able to commit content is required; affected merge-request, comparison, commit, and repository views return HTTP 500 errors, while local Git access remains available.
Summary
What happened
Denial of service in GitLab before 16.2.0 allows remote authenticated users to disrupt repository views via LF-bearing directory names. GitLab accepts a line-feed character in a committed directory path, after which commit and diff rendering passes the malformed path into Gitaly lookups and view code that return object-not-found errors or dereference nil. A project account able to commit content is required; affected merge-request, comparison, commit, and repository views return HTTP 500 errors, while local Git access remains available.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2023-4522
- Published
- Aug 30, 2023
- Updated
- May 26, 2026
- Vendor
- GitLab
- Product
- GitLab
- Classifications
- CWE-1287, T1499.004
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Aug 30, 2023CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- May 26, 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=0 <16.2.0
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
- LF-bearing directory reproduction procedureproof of concept · demonstrated
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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