CVE-2020-10516 - CVE House
Back to Database
Status published Critical CVE-2020-10516

Improper access control in GitHub Enterprise Server leading to privilege escalation of organization member

Vulnerability Description

An improper access control vulnerability was identified in the GitHub Enterprise Server API that allowed an organization member to escalate permissions and gain access to unauthorized repositories within an organization. This vulnerability affected all versions of GitHub Enterprise Server prior to 2.21 and was fixed in 2.20.9, 2.19.15, and 2.18.20. This vulnerability was reported via the GitHub Bug Bounty program.

Impact Analysis

Refer to official advisory for detailed impact metrics.

Remediation

Ensure systems are updated to the latest vendor-supplied patch levels.

THREAT MONITOR

Am I Vulnerable?

Launch our assessment wizard to check if your infrastructure is exposed to • CVE-2020-10516

Credits & Attribution

The following person or organization is credited with identifying this vulnerability, as recorded in the NVD database:

  • Vaibhav Singh

References

More from GitHub

View All →
CVE-2025-8447
Incorrect authorization vulnerability was identified in GitHub Enterprise Server that allowed read-only access
High 7
CVE-2025-6981
Incorrect authorization vulnerability was identified in GitHub Enterprise Server that allowed unauthorized read-only access
Medium 5.3
CVE-2025-6600
GitHub Enterprise Server Information Disclosure Vulnerability Exposes Private Repository Names via Search API
Medium 6.3
CVE-2025-3509
Pre-Receive Hook Remote Code Execution vulnerability was identified in GitHub Enterprise Server that allowing Privilege Escalation
High 7.1
CVE-2025-3246
Markdown math block sanitization bypass allows privilege escalation and unauthorized workflow triggers
High 8.6

Affected Vendor

Affected Software

GitHub Enterprise Server
Vulnerable Versions:
2.20, 2.19, 2.18

Timeline

Official Publish: June 3rd, 2020
Last Modified: August 4th, 2024
Added to House: July 21st, 2026

CVSS Vectors

V3: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Weaknesses (CWE)

CWE-285

MITRE ATT&CK TTPs

T1190 Exploit Public-Facing Application
Initial Access
T1078 Valid Accounts
Persistence
T1548 Abuse Elevation Control Mechanism
Privilege Escalation
T1021 Remote Services
Lateral Movement
T1098 Account Manipulation
Defense Evasion