What is CVE-2023-7028?

CVE-2023-7028 is Weak Password Recovery Mechanism for Forgotten Password in GitLab. The supplied enrichment data classifies it as Unclassified mapped to CWE-640 CWE-640.

Which versions are affected?

Affected product and version evidence is listed in the product table above. Current public advisories should be checked for exact version scope before patch targeting is finalized.

Is there active exploitation?

Yes: CISA KEV signal present. If exploitation is not confirmed from current sources, teams should document that status and continue monitoring KEV, vendor, and telemetry updates.

Is there a public exploit?

1 public PoC repositories reported; 0 marked weaponized in current dataset. Public exploit or PoC availability should raise triage priority, especially for exposed or business-critical systems.

How can defenders detect it?

Start with web/proxy/WAF logs, application logs, network IDS/IPS where available. Look for vulnerability-class behavior, product errors, suspicious authentication events, exploit probes, and abnormal process activity based only on evidence that applies to the affected product.

How should teams prioritize it?

Prioritize CVE-2023-7028 using CVSS 9.8, EPSS 95%, KEV status, public PoC status, and asset exposure. Internet-facing, privileged, or business-critical deployments should be handled first.

Are workarounds available?

Workarounds are not confirmed from current sources. Fixed-version evidence is listed in the mitigation section above.

Which threat actors are linked publicly?

No public threat actor linkage is confirmed from current sources. Do not attribute exploitation to a threat actor unless the source evidence explicitly supports that linkage.

What should be done in the next 24 hours?

Identify exposed assets running affected vendor/product/version combinations. Treat as emergency remediation because CISA KEV status is present. Search available logs for exploit probes, errors, authentication anomalies, or suspicious child processes matching the vulnerability class. Open remediation tickets with affected assets, owners, evidence status, and detection coverage so decisions are traceable.

CISA KEVcriticalpublic exploit

CVE-2023-7028

CVE-2023-7028 — Weak Password Recovery Mechanism for Forgotten Password in GitLab

Q: Is it in CISA KEV?

Yes. The supplied enrichment data lists CVE-2023-7028 in CISA KEV with required action: Apply mitigations per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.. KEV status should be monitored because it can change after initial disclosure or after exploitation becomes publicly confirmed.

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.

Published Jan 12, 2024Updated Jun 17, 2026Sources: NVD, GitLab (CNA), CISA, FIRST EPSS, Exploit-DB

Triage

Is it exploited, how likely is exploitation, what does it touch, and how severe do the scoring sources call it.

Exploitation

Confirmed

CISA KEV, listed May 1, 2024

EPSS

95%

ahead of 99.9% of scored CVEs

Affects

GitLab

7 products listed

CVSS base

9.8

critical · 2 sources

CISA SSVC assessment

Three decision points CISA publishes for the CVEs it assesses · SSVC 2.0.3. A stakeholder decision, not a severity score.

CISA

Exploitation

Active

none · proof-of-concept · active

Automatable

Yes

can an attacker script all four kill-chain steps

Technical impact

Total

partial · total control of the vulnerable component

Remediation

The vendor's own words where we have them.

Upgrade to versions 16.7.2, 16.6.4, 16.5.6, 16.4.5, 16.3.7, 16.2.9, 16.1.6 or above.

CISA required action

Apply mitigations per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.

Federal deadline May 22, 2024 — passed 852 days ago

First 24 hours

Ordered from the record's own fields — exposure first, because you cannot patch what you have not found.

Identify exposed assets running affected vendor/product/version combinations.
Treat as emergency remediation because CISA KEV status is present.
Search available logs for exploit probes, errors, authentication anomalies, or suspicious child processes matching the vulnerability class.

Affected scope

Vendor, product and version as the advisories word them.

Vendor	Product	Versions	Status
GitLab	GitLab	16.1 to < 16.1.6	Vulnerable
GitLab	GitLab	16.2 to < 16.2.9	Vulnerable
GitLab	GitLab	16.3 to < 16.3.7	Vulnerable
GitLab	GitLab	16.4 to < 16.4.5	Vulnerable
GitLab	GitLab	16.5 to < 16.5.6	Vulnerable
GitLab	GitLab	16.6 to < 16.6.4	Vulnerable
GitLab	GitLab	16.7 to < 16.7.2	Vulnerable

Attack characteristics

The CVSS vector, decoded. It describes the attack, not your exposure to it.

Availability

High

Confidentiality

High

Integrity

High

Scope

Unchanged

Attack Complexity

Low

Attack Vector

Network

Privileges Req

None

User Interaction

None

Every base score collected

Sources score independently and disagree; each row says who scored it and under which version.

Score	Version	Severity	Expl.	Impact	Source
10	CVSS 3.1	critical	3.9	5.8	gitlab.com (CNA), GitLab (CNA)
9.8	CVSS 3.1	critical	3.9	5.9	NVD

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N

Weakness & attack patterns

CWE-640

CISA KEV details

CISA lists a CVE here once it has evidence of exploitation against real targets.

CISAThat month →

Listed

May 1, 2024

Federal deadline

May 22, 2024

passed 852 days ago

Ransomware use

Unknown

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 date to argue against.

Public exploit

Capability, not use: code existing is a different claim from anyone running it.

Exploit entries

Exploit-DB and CTI exploit indexes

Detection

Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not rules we have tested.

Search application, proxy, and WAF logs for requests touching /EE.
Prioritize edge telemetry for network-reachable GitLab.
Monitor for scanner or exploit-pattern traffic after 1 public PoC repositories were reported.

web/proxy/WAF logsapplication logsnetwork IDS/IPS

Timeline

What happened to this CVE, newest first — with the readings a source repeats on a schedule counted underneath rather than listed.

2026
Added · CVSS 3.1 9.8 (AV:N)
Jun 17, 2026 · NVD
2024
Added to CISA KEV catalog
May 1, 2024 · CISA
Added · remote entry: GitLab CE/EE < 16.7.2 - Password Reset
Mar 14, 2024 · Exploit-DB
Initial · CVE published
Jan 12, 2024 · NVD

References

7 on the record

gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/436084
Exploit, Issue Tracking, Vendor Advisory
hackerone.com/reports/2293343
Permissions Required
www.vicarius.io/vsociety/posts/critical-gitlab-account-takeover-vulnerability-cve-2023-7028
Exploit, Third Party Advisory
www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2023-7028
US Government Resource
www.exploit-db.com/exploits/51889
Vendor Advisory
about.gitlab.com/releases/2024/01/11/critical-security-release-gitlab-16-7-2-released/
Vendor Advisory
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-7028
Vendor Advisory

Elsewhere on this site

GitLabevery CVE for this vendor
May 2024what else CISA listed
Unclassifiedsame class
CWE-640other pages naming this weakness

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 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 record1

What should defenders know first?

CVE-2023-7028 is Weak Password Recovery Mechanism for Forgotten Password in GitLab, a critical vulnerability affecting GitLab from GitLab. The current evidence lists it in CISA KEV, and the exploit status is: Yes: CISA KEV signal present. Public exploit evidence is: 1 public PoC repositories reported; 0 marked weaponized in current dataset. The affected-version evidence is listed in the key facts and affected products tables. Defenders should first verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run those versions, then apply vendor patches or mitigations, restrict reachable attack surface, and preserve logs for detection review. CVSS 9.8 describes technical severity, while EPSS 95% helps estimate near-term exploit likelihood; neither replaces asset context. Unknown fields should remain explicit in tickets, and threat actor, IOC, victimology, or payload claims should not be added unless a cited source supports them. Monitor CISA KEV, vendor advisories, NVD changes, public PoC repositories, and internal telemetry for update triggers.