GitLabApplication
CVE-2021-22185
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedInsufficient input sanitization in wikis in GitLab version 13.8 and up allows an attacker to exploit a stored cross-site scripting vulnerability via a specially-crafted commit to a wiki
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceA stored cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability exists in GitLab wikis starting from version 13.8 due to insufficient input sanitization. Attackers can inject malicious JavaScript code through specially-crafted commits to a wiki page, which will execute when other users view the compromised wiki content.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data
GitLabApplication
>= 13.8.0, < 13.8.5>= 13.9.0, < 13.9.2CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Check GitLab versionAccess the GitLab Admin area and navigate to the Dashboard or use the command 'gitlab-rake gitlab:env:info' to display version informationAffected if The installed version falls within 13.8.0 to 13.8.4 or 13.9.0 to 13.9.1
-
Verify wiki feature is enabledNavigate to Admin Area > Settings > General > Visibility and access controls, or check project-level wiki settings to confirm wikis are accessibleAffected if Wiki functionality is enabled and accessible to users
-
Identify wiki-enabled projectsReview which projects have wikis turned on by checking project settings or querying the database for projects with non-null wiki enabled flagAffected if Projects exist with wiki feature active
-
Review recent wiki page contentExamine recent wiki page revisions for unusual script tags, javascript: URIs, or event handler attributes in content fieldsAffected if Wiki pages contain unsanitized HTML or script content that could execute in a user's browser
You are affected if your GitLab version is between 13.8.0 and 13.8.4 or between 13.9.0 and 13.9.1, wikis are enabled, and any wiki content contains potentially malicious script injections.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor data13.8.513.9.2
Update GitLab to the patched version provided by the vendor. As a temporary measure, restrict wiki write access to trusted users and validate all wiki content before publication.
Fix this in GitLab
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation3.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,800.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-22185 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2021-22185 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data