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GitLabApplication

CVE-2021-22209

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-05-06
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 13.9.7 / 13.10.4 or later.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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 · unedited
An issue has been discovered in GitLab CE/EE affecting all versions starting from 13.8. GitLab was not properly validating authorisation tokens which resulted in GraphQL mutation being executed.

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 · moderate confidence

GitLab CE/EE versions 13.8 and later had improper validation of authorization tokens in the GraphQL API, allowing unauthenticated or improperly authenticated users to execute GraphQL mutations they should not have access to.

MitigationUpgrade GitLab to the version containing the patched authorization validation for GraphQL mutations. Verify that all GraphQL endpoints properly validate authorization tokens after the update.

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
Affected:>= 13.8.0, < 13.9.7>= 13.10.0, < 13.10.4>= 13.11.0, < 13.11.2

CVSS 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
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
High
Availability
None

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

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check installed GitLab version
    Run `gitlab-rake gitlab:version` on the GitLab server to obtain the exact version number
    Affected if Version is 13.8.0 through 13.9.6, OR 13.10.0 through 13.10.3, OR 13.11.0 through 13.11.1 (falls within the vulnerable ranges)
  2. Confirm GraphQL API is exposed
    Attempt to access the /api/graphql endpoint on your GitLab instance with a GET request
    Affected if The GraphQL endpoint returns any response (schema introspection or error) indicating it is accessible

You are affected if your GitLab version is in the vulnerable ranges AND the GraphQL API endpoint is accessible from your network.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 data
Upgrade available Upgrade to 13.9.7 / 13.10.4 / 13.11.2 or later
Fixed in 13.9.713.10.413.11.2
Interim mitigation

Upgrade GitLab to the version containing the patched authorization validation for GraphQL mutations. Verify that all GraphQL endpoints properly validate authorization tokens after the update.

Fix this in GitLab Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,640
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,224.

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2021-22209 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

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.

What belongs here
  • 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