Authenticated denial of service via path-resolution loop
Published Nov 6, 2023 · Updated Apr 29, 2026
Denial of service in GitLab CE/EE 16.2 through 16.3.5, 16.4 through 16.4.1, and 16.5.0 allows remote authenticated users to exhaust server memory. CI/CD component resolution repeatedly follows an incorrect component path without reaching an exit condition, consuming all available memory. Low-privileged project access is sufficient; successful exploitation crashes the self-managed GitLab service.
Summary
What happened
Denial of service in GitLab CE/EE 16.2 through 16.3.5, 16.4 through 16.4.1, and 16.5.0 allows remote authenticated users to exhaust server memory. CI/CD component resolution repeatedly follows an incorrect component path without reaching an exit condition, consuming all available memory. Low-privileged project access is sufficient; successful exploitation crashes the self-managed GitLab service.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2023-5825
- Published
- Nov 6, 2023
- Updated
- Apr 29, 2026
- Vendor
- GitLab
- Product
- GitLab
- Classifications
- CWE-835, T1499.004
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Nov 6, 2023CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Apr 29, 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=16.2 <16.3.6
- Affected versionversion=16.4 <16.4.2
- Affected versionversion=16.5 <16.5.1
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
No public exploit references are available in this record.
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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