CVE-2023-4812Public exploitNetwork attack vector

Unapproved protected-branch changes via stale CODEOWNERS approval

Published Jan 12, 2024 · Updated May 1, 2026

Authorization bypass in affected GitLab EE 15.3 through 16.7.1 allows remote authenticated users to merge unapproved code into protected branches. When a second merge request is merged into the approved request's source branch, GitLab fails to invalidate the existing approval after the diff changes. Exploitation requires project access, CODEOWNERS enforcement, and approval-reset settings; successful abuse can change protected code or expose CI/CD variables.

CVSS severity7.6
High
EPSS probability0.51%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Authorization bypass in affected GitLab EE 15.3 through 16.7.1 allows remote authenticated users to merge unapproved code into protected branches. When a second merge request is merged into the approved request's source branch, GitLab fails to invalidate the existing approval after the diff changes. Exploitation requires project access, CODEOWNERS enforcement, and approval-reset settings; successful abuse can change protected code or expose CI/CD variables.

The record

CVE
CVE-2023-4812
Published
Jan 12, 2024
Updated
May 1, 2026
Vendor
GitLab
Product
GitLab
Classifications
CWE-863, T1565.001
Attack vector
network
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Jan 12, 2024CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. May 1, 2026Record 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 <16.5.6
  2. Affected versionversion=16.6 <16.6.4
  3. Affected versionversion=16.7 <16.7.2

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectornetwork
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

GitLab · GitLabversion=15.3 <16.5.6; version=16.6 <16.6.4; version=16.7 <16.7.2

Published CVSS scores

5.3NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N
7.6GitLab Inc.CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/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
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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