CVE-2023-7028 — GitLab Community and Enterprise Editions Improper Access Control Vulnerability
An issue has been discovered in GitLab CE/EE affecting all versions from 16.1 prior to 16.1.6, 16.2 prior to 16.2.9, 16.3 prior to 16.3.7, 16.4 prior to 16.4.5, 16.5 prior to 16.5.6, 16.6 prior to 16.6.4, and 16.7 prior to 16.7.2 in which user account password reset emails could be delivered to an unverified email address.
Who exploits it and how urgent it is
A 0–100 score combining confirmed exploitation, ransomware and APT use, public exploits, EPSS and severity.
How the score was calculated
- Confirmed exploitation (CISA KEV)+35
- Public exploit/PoC (nuclei, metasploit, exploitdb, github)+20
- EPSS 94.6% (30-day exploitation probability)+15
- Technical severity (critical)+10
- Automatable exploitation (SSVC)+3
The score orders the patch queue; it does not replace your asset context (internet exposure, criticality, compensating controls).
Triage
Is it exploited, how likely is exploitation, what does it touch, and how severe do the sources call it.
CISA SSVC assessment CISA
Three decision points CISA publishes for the CVEs it assesses (SSVC 2.0.3). A stakeholder decision, not a severity score.
Remediation
Fixes and mitigations documented by the sources — linked to the original advisory.
No fix documented by the sources we poll. That does not mean none exists: check the vendor advisory.
CISA required action CISA
Apply mitigations per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.
US federal deadline: May 22, 2024 — passed 876 day(s) ago
First 24 hours
Ordered from the record’s own fields — exposure first, because you cannot patch what you have not found. A rule-generated starting point.
- Identify exposed assets running the affected vendor/product/version combinations (Gitlab Gitlab).
- Treat as emergency remediation: the CVE is in CISA KEV (confirmed exploitation).
- The attack is network-based and needs no privileges: restrict exposure (ACLs, VPN, WAF) until patched.
- No fix documented in the sources: reduce exposure and monitor the vendor advisory.
- EPSS ahead of 100% of scored CVEs: prioritize it in the patch queue.
- Search available logs for exploit probes matching the vulnerability class (authentication), errors and authentication anomalies.
Affected scope
Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.
| Vendor | Product | Versions | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gitlab | Gitlab | ≥ 16.2.0 and < 16.2.9≥ 16.7.0 and < 16.7.2≥ 16.6.0 and < 16.6.4≥ 16.5.0 and < 16.5.6≥ 16.4.0 and < 16.4.5≥ 16.3.0 and < 16.3.7≥ 16.1.0 and < 16.1.6 | Vulnerable | NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| Gitlab | Gitlab | ≥ 16.1 and < 16.1.6≥ 16.7 and < 16.7.2≥ 16.6 and < 16.6.4≥ 16.5 and < 16.5.6≥ 16.4 and < 16.4.5≥ 16.3 and < 16.3.7≥ 16.2 and < 16.2.9 | Vulnerable | CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP |
Attack characteristics
The CVSS vector, decoded. It describes the attack, not your exposure to it.
Every base score collected
Sources score independently and may disagree; each row says who scored it and under which version.
| Score | Version | Severity | Expl. | Impact | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10.0 | CVSS 3.1 | Critical | 3.9 | 5.8 | cve@gitlab.com via NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| 10.0 | CVSS 3.1 | Critical | — | — | GitHub, Inc. via GitHub Security Advisories |
| 10.0 | CVSS 3.1 | Critical | — | — | GitLab via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP |
| 9.8 | CVSS 3.1 | Critical | 3.9 | 5.9 | nvd@nist.gov via NIST National Vulnerability Database |
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H (score shown at the top: nvd@nist.gov) Weakness MITRE
Weakness class according to MITRE’s CWE catalog.
CISA KEV details CISA
CISA lists a CVE once it has evidence of exploitation against real targets.
CISA records ransomware use only for campaigns it has confirmed, so “Unknown” means unrecorded, not ruled out. The deadline binds US federal agencies; for everyone else it is a reference date.
Public exploits, PoCs and detection templates
Public code that demonstrates or tests the flaw raises the odds of mass exploitation — and Nuclei templates help find vulnerable assets in your environment.
- GitLab Password Reset Account Takeover normal Jan 11, 2024
- GitLab CE/EE < 16.7.2 - Password Reset Mar 14, 2024
- This repository presents a proof-of-concept of CVE-2023-7028 ★ 245 Jan 12, 2024
- CVE-2023-7028 ★ 58 Jan 12, 2024
- CVE-2023-7028 killer ★ 4 Jan 18, 2024
- An issue has been discovered in GitLab CE/EE affecting all versions from 16.1 prior to 16.1.6, 16.2 prior to 16.2.9, 16.3 prior to 16.3.7, 16.4 prior to 16.4.5, 16.5 prior to 16.5.6, 16.6 prior to 16.6.4, and 16.7 prior to 16.7.2 in which user account password reset emails could be delivered to an u ★ 3 Jan 12, 2024
- Repository to install CVE-2023-7028 vulnerable Gitlab instance ★ 3 Jan 25, 2024
- sariamubeen/CVE-2023-7028 ★ 3 Feb 17, 2025
- thanhlam-attt/CVE-2023-7028 ★ 2 Jan 23, 2024
- GitLab CVE-2023-7028 ★ 1 Jan 28, 2024
- CVE-2023-7028 POC && Exploit ★ 1 Aug 21, 2024
- This FORK of repository presents a proof-of-concept of CVE-2023-7028. I am only improve exploit usage ★ 1 Jul 21, 2025
Warning: public PoCs are sometimes disguised malware. Use them only for authorized testing in an isolated environment. This portal does not host exploit code — it only points to the sources.
EPSS over time FIRST
Oct 12, 2026 → Oct 14, 2026 · 3 reading(s) · max 94.65%
Detection
Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not tested rules.
- Prioritize edge telemetry for the network-reachable component (proxy, WAF, IDS/IPS).
- Review authentication logs: logins without MFA, anomalous sessions and recently created accounts.
- Hunt retroactively in logs from before May 1, 2024 (KEV listing): exploitation may have started earlier.
Timeline
What happened to this CVE, newest first.
- 2026
- Affected products added · gitlab/gitlab
- CVSS changed · 10.0 → 9.8
- Source status changed · Published → Analyzed
- Record published
- Affected products added · gitlab/gitlab
- CVSS changed · 10.0
- Source status changed · → Published
- SSVC assessment updated
- Added to CISA KEV (detected)
- Record created in this database
- 2024
- Added to CISA KEV catalog
- CVE published
Source activity
Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.
- 3× References added · Oct 13, 2026 – Oct 13, 2026
- 1× Official description updated · Oct 13, 2026 – Oct 13, 2026
References
7 on the record
- gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/436084
- www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog
- github.com/advisories/GHSA-mgg5-84cv-fc3c
- about.gitlab.com/releases/2024/01/11/critical-security-release-gitlab-16-7-2-released
- hackerone.com/reports/2293343
- www.vicarius.io/vsociety/posts/critical-gitlab-account-takeover-vulnerability-cve-202
- nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-7028
Elsewhere on this site
Related CVEs (same products)
- Critical CVE-2026-97229 Integer Overflow or Wraparound in GitLab 3d
- Medium CVE-2026-84284 Incorrect Authorization in GitLab 3d
- Medium CVE-2026-92528 Incorrect Authorization in GitLab 3d
- Medium CVE-2026-9268 Incorrect Authorization in GitLab 3d
- High CVE-2026-96893 Improper Neutralization of Input Used for LLM Prompting in GitLab 3d
- High CVE-2026-92883 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') in GitLab 3d
Not in any source we poll
Listed rather than left blank: an empty field and an unmeasured one look identical on screen, and only one is a reason to look elsewhere.
- No fixed version, patch or mitigation documented.
- No confirmed IOCs, IP addresses, domains, file hashes, or malware artifacts supplied.
- No organization-specific asset inventory, compensating-control status, or patch deployment evidence supplied.
- No exploit packet captures, log samples, or incident case IDs supplied.
Answered from this record
Text assembled only from the fields above — no additional claims.
What should defenders know first?
CVE-2023-7028 is "GitLab Community and Enterprise Editions Improper Access Control Vulnerability", rated Critical. It affects Gitlab (Gitlab); versions are in the scope table. It is in CISA KEV: there is evidence of real-world exploitation. CVSS 9.8 describes technical severity. EPSS 94.65% estimates the probability of exploitation in 30 days; neither replaces your asset context. First verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run the affected versions, apply vendor fixes or mitigations, and preserve logs for review.
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