GitLabApplication
CVE-2021-22205
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 · uneditedAn issue has been discovered in GitLab CE/EE affecting all versions starting from 11.9. GitLab was not properly validating image files that were passed to a file parser which resulted in a remote command execution.
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 confidenceGitLab CE/EE versions 11.9 and later fail to properly validate image files passed to a file parser, allowing remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands by uploading specially crafted image files that are processed by the parser.
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
>= 11.9.0, < 13.8.8>= 13.9.0, < 13.9.6>= 13.10.0, < 13.10.3CVSS 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
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
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.
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Identify the installed GitLab versionRun `cat /opt/gitlab/version` or `gitlab-rake gitlab:env:info` to retrieve the exact GitLab version numberAffected if The installed version falls within any of these ranges: 11.9.0 to 13.8.7, 13.9.0 to 13.9.5, or 13.10.0 to 13.10.2
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Confirm GitLab is exposed to networkCheck whether the GitLab instance is reachable from untrusted networks by reviewing firewall rules, reverse proxy configuration, or network ACLsAffected if GitLab HTTP/HTTPS ports are accessible from the internet or untrusted internal networks, allowing attackers to upload malicious image files
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Verify the instance processes user-uploaded imagesReview whether the GitLab instance enables features that accept image uploads, such as project avatars, issue attachments, or markdown image embeddingAffected if The instance allows file uploads that could contain specially crafted image files processed by the vulnerable parser
The environment is affected if the installed GitLab version is any release from 11.9.0 through the versions just below 13.8.8, 13.9.6, or 13.10.3, and the instance accepts image file uploads from users or attackers.
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.
dbcve · scoped13.8.813.9.613.10.3
Upgrade GitLab to the patched version (13.10.3, 13.9.6, or 13.8.8 depending on version line) or apply the security release. If immediate patching is not possible, temporarily disable file uploads and image processing features.
Upgrade to GitLab 13.10.3 or later (or 13.9.6, 13.8.8 as minimum fixed versions)
- Backup your GitLab instance and database before proceeding with any upgrade
- Ensure you have sufficient downtime window for the upgrade process
- For Ubuntu/Debian: Run 'sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install gitlab-ce' (or 'gitlab-ee' for Enterprise Edition)
- For RHEL/CentOS: Run 'sudo yum install gitlab-ce' (or 'gitlab-ee' for Enterprise Edition)
- Alternatively, download the specific package for your platform from https://about.gitlab.com/install/ or https://packages.gitlab.com/gitlab/gitlab-ce
- Install the appropriate package for your system (deb or rpm)
- Run 'sudo gitlab-ctl reconfigure' to apply the configuration
- Verify the upgrade completed successfully by checking GitLab version with 'sudo gitlab-rake gitlab:env:info'
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in GitLab
Exploited in the wild — priority engagement
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing4.0 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 $4,224.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-22205 — 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-2021-22205 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
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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