Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2023-7028 is a critical GitLab account-takeover flaw. In affected GitLab CE/EE versions, password reset emails could be sent to an unverified email address. That can let an attacker reset a user’s password and access repositories, issues, CI/CD data, or administrative functions depending on the compromised account.
Executive priority
Treat as an immediate remediation item. The vulnerability affects account recovery, has a maximum CVSS score, and is in CISA KEV. Compromise could expose source code, secrets in repositories, CI/CD pipelines, and project governance data depending on account privileges.
Technical view
GitLab CE/EE versions 16.1 through 16.7 are affected below specific patch releases. The flaw is CWE-640 in the password recovery flow. CVSS is 10.0: network-accessible, low complexity, no privileges, no user interaction, scope changed, high confidentiality and integrity impact, with no availability impact stated.
Likely exposure
Organizations running self-managed GitLab CE/EE 16.1 before 16.1.6, 16.2 before 16.2.9, 16.3 before 16.3.7, 16.4 before 16.4.5, 16.5 before 16.5.6, 16.6 before 16.6.4, or 16.7 before 16.7.2 are exposed.
Exploitation context
CISA lists CVE-2023-7028 in the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, so active exploitation is supported by a government source. Public issue and bug bounty references exist. Do not treat this as theoretical; prioritize exposed internet-facing GitLab instances and high-privilege accounts.
Researcher notes
The public record identifies the vulnerable mechanism and affected version ranges, but this bundle does not provide complete IoCs or a vendor mitigation alternative beyond fixed versions. Use GitLab’s issue and HackerOne report for technical context, and avoid operationalizing exploit details.
Mitigation direction
- Upgrade GitLab to 16.1.6, 16.2.9, 16.3.7, 16.4.5, 16.5.6, 16.6.4, or 16.7.2 or later.
- Prioritize internet-facing GitLab instances and systems used for source code or CI/CD administration.
- If immediate upgrade is blocked, check current GitLab vendor guidance for supported temporary controls.
- Review password reset activity and account changes for suspicious behavior during the exposure window.
Validation and detection
- Inventory all GitLab CE/EE instances and record exact versions.
- Compare versions against the affected ranges and fixed release thresholds.
- Confirm patched instances are at or above the relevant fixed version.
- Check CISA KEV status for operational prioritization and remediation tracking.
- Review referenced GitLab and HackerOne materials for technical confirmation without reproducing exploit steps.
Public sources used
The source record changed after analysis. Treat this automated context as pending refresh.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-640: Exact CWE lookup
Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCredential and access behavior lookup
The CVE wording references authentication or credential exposure, so valid-account and credential-access review may help. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2023-7028 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Critical
- CVSS
- 10 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- Yes
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CISA KEV status
SSVC decision data
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N3.95.8GitLabVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
10CriticalVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N
Vulnerability timeline
Timeline events are normalized from CVE metadata, CNA source timelines, ADP timelines, and KEV metadata when present.
- CVE reservedCVE Program
The CVE ID was reserved by the assigning CNA.
- CVE publishedCVE Program
The CVE record was published.
- Added to KEVCISA-ADP
CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities metadata lists this CVE as known exploited.
- ADP timelineCISA-ADP
CVE-2023-7028 added to CISA KEV
- CVE updatedCVE Program
The CVE record metadata indicates this as the latest update time.
ADP provider summaries
- 2024-05-01T00:00:00.000Z: CVE-2023-7028 added to CISA KEV
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- GitLab Issue #436084CVE reference, GitLab · issue-tracking
- HackerOne Bug Bounty Report #2293343CVE reference, GitLab · technical-description, exploit
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2023-7028CVE reference, CISA-ADP · government-resource
- https://www.vicarius.io/vsociety/posts/critical-gitlab-account-takeover-vulnerability-cve-2023-7028CVE reference, CVE
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Weak Password Recovery Mechanism for Forgotten Password
Weak Password Recovery Mechanism for Forgotten Password represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.