GitLab Security Release: 16.6.2, 16.5.4, 16.4.4
On December 13, 2023, we released versions 16.6.2, 16.5.4, and 16.4.4 for GitLab Community Edition (CE) and Enterprise Edition (EE). These versions contain important security fixes, and we strongly recommend that all GitLab installations be upgraded to one of these versions immediately. GitLab.com is already running the patched version. GitLab releases patches for vulnerabilities in dedicated security releases. There are two types of security releases: a monthly, scheduled security release, released a week after the feature release (which deploys on the 3rd Thursday of each month), and ad-hoc security releases for critical vulnerabilities. For more information, you can visit our security FAQ . You can see all of our regular and security release blog posts here . In addition, the issues detailing each vulnerability are made public on our issue tracker 30 days after the release in which they were patched. We are dedicated to ensuring all aspects of GitLab that are exposed to customers or that host customer data are held to the highest security standards. As part of maintaining good security hygiene, it is highly recommended that all customers upgrade to the latest security release for their supported version. You can read more best practices in securing your GitLab instance in our blog post. Recommended Action We strongly recommend that all installations running a version affected by the issues described below are upgraded to the latest version as soon as possible . When no specific deployment type (omnibus, source code, helm chart, etc.) of a product is mentioned, this means all types are affected. Table of fixes Title Severity Smartcard authentication allows impersonation of arbitrary user using user’s public certificate High When subgroup is allowed to merge or push to protected branches, subgroup members with the Developer role may gain the ability to push or merge Medium The GitLab web interface does not ensure the integrity of information when downloading the so
CSIRTS triage
- What
- The release contains important security fixes.
- Who is affected
- All GitLab installations using versions prior to 16.6.2, 16.5.4, or 16.4.4.
- Urgency
- Remediation is urgent due to the critical severity of the vulnerabilities.
- Action
- Upgrade to one of the patched versions immediately.
AI-assisted analysis generated from the source advisory — verify against the original.
⚡ Watch GitLab
Get an email when a new GitLab advisory drops — max one per day, one-click unsubscribe.
Details
Original advisory: https://docs.gitlab.com/releases/patches/patch-release-gitlab-16-6-2-released/
Exploitation outlook
EPSS (FIRST.org) estimates each CVE’s probability of exploitation in the next 30 days — here is the CSIRTS.com read on those numbers.
- Low exploitation riskCVE-2023-66800.38% 30-day exploitation probability — currently an unlikely target, but scores change as exploit code circulates. Riskier than 30% of all scored CVEs.
- Low exploitation riskCVE-2023-65640.38% 30-day exploitation probability — currently an unlikely target, but scores change as exploit code circulates. Riskier than 30% of all scored CVEs.
- Low exploitation riskCVE-2023-60510.61% 30-day exploitation probability — currently an unlikely target, but scores change as exploit code circulates. Riskier than 45% of all scored CVEs.
- Low exploitation riskCVE-2023-39070.59% 30-day exploitation probability — currently an unlikely target, but scores change as exploit code circulates. Riskier than 44% of all scored CVEs.
- Low exploitation riskCVE-2023-55120.49% 30-day exploitation probability — currently an unlikely target, but scores change as exploit code circulates. Riskier than 39% of all scored CVEs.
- Low exploitation riskCVE-2023-39040.73% 30-day exploitation probability — currently an unlikely target, but scores change as exploit code circulates. Riskier than 50% of all scored CVEs.
- Low exploitation riskCVE-2023-50610.42% 30-day exploitation probability — currently an unlikely target, but scores change as exploit code circulates. Riskier than 34% of all scored CVEs.
- Low exploitation riskCVE-2023-35110.40% 30-day exploitation probability — currently an unlikely target, but scores change as exploit code circulates. Riskier than 32% of all scored CVEs.
Referenced CVEs
| CVE | CSIRTS overview | External |
|---|---|---|
| CVE-2023-6680 | coverage & exploitation status | NVD · CVE.org |
| CVE-2023-6564 | coverage & exploitation status | NVD · CVE.org |
| CVE-2023-6051 | coverage & exploitation status | NVD · CVE.org |
| CVE-2023-3907 | coverage & exploitation status | NVD · CVE.org |
| CVE-2023-5512 | coverage & exploitation status | NVD · CVE.org |
| CVE-2023-3904 | coverage & exploitation status | NVD · CVE.org |
| CVE-2023-5061 | coverage & exploitation status | NVD · CVE.org |
| CVE-2023-3511 | coverage & exploitation status | NVD · CVE.org |
More from GitLab Security Releases
- criticalGitLab Patch Release: 19.1.2, 19.0.4, 18.11.72026-07-08
- unknownGitLab Patch Release: 18.8.112026-07-01
- unknownGitLab patch release notes2026-07-01
- criticalGitLab Patch Release: 19.1.1, 19.0.3, 18.11.62026-06-24
- criticalGitLab Patch Release: 19.0.2, 18.11.5, 18.10.82026-06-10