# CVE-2023-46647: Improper Privilege Management in GitHub Enterprise Server management console leads to privilege escalation

> Users with editor roles in the management console can escalate privileges by accessing the bootstrapping endpoint, requiring a patch to prevent unauthorized administrative access.

- **Severity:** High 8.0 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 21 Dec 2023
- **Updated:** 2 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-9g9p-wc7c-q948

## What is CVE-2023-46647?

CVE-2023-46647 is a high-severity vulnerability in Github Enterprise Server, published on 21 Dec 2023. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

Improper privilege management in all versions of GitHub Enterprise Server allows users with authorized access to the management console with an editor role to escalate their privileges by making requests to the endpoint used for bootstrapping the instance. This vulnerability affected GitHub Enterprise Server version 3.8.0 and above and was fixed in version 3.8.12, 3.9.6, 3.10.3, and 3.11.0.

Weakness: CWE-269 (Improper Privilege Management)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-46647?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Github Enterprise Server.

## How do I fix CVE-2023-46647?

No fix has been published for CVE-2023-46647 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2023-46647 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-46647 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Github Enterprise Server

- [CVE-2024-4985](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-4985/): Auth bypass in Enterprise Server (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2022-23739](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-23739/): Missing authorization in GitHub Enterprise Server (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2022-46255](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-46255/): Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory in GitHub Enterprise Server leading to RCE (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2021-22869](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-22869/): Improper access control in GitHub Enterprise Server allows self-hosted runners to execute outside their control group (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2024-9487](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-9487/): Auth bypass in Enterprise Server (critical 9.5)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2023-46647 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2023-46647 is a high-severity vulnerability in Github Enterprise Server, published on 21 Dec 2023. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-46647 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Github Enterprise Server. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-46647/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-46647/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-46647
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-46647
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-46647

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-46647/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.