GitLabApplication
CVE-2021-22223
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 · uneditedClient-Side code injection through Feature Flag name in GitLab CE/EE starting with 11.9 allows a specially crafted feature flag name to PUT requests on behalf of other users via clicking on a link
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 in GitLab's Feature Flag functionality allows attackers to inject malicious code into feature flag names. When other users view or interact with these crafted flag names (e.g., by clicking a link), the injected script executes and can perform PUT requests on behalf of the victim user, leading to unauthorized state changes.
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
>= 13.9.0, < 13.11.6>= 13.12.0, < 13.12.6>= 14.0.0, < 14.0.2CVSS 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
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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.
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Identify GitLab versionRun `sudo gitlab-rake gitlab:env:info` or check the GitLab admin panel at /admin/about to find the exact installed versionAffected if The installed version falls within >= 13.9.0, < 13.11.6; >= 13.12.0, < 13.12.6; or >= 14.0.0, < 14.0.2
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Verify Feature Flag module is accessibleNavigate to the Feature Flags section in a project (Project > Settings > Feature Flags) or check if the feature_flags API endpoint responds at /api/v4/projects/:id/feature_flagsAffected if Feature Flags are enabled and accessible in the GitLab instance
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Enumerate existing feature flagsUse the GitLab API: `curl --header "PRIVATE-TOKEN: <your-token>" https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/projects/<project_id>/feature_flags` or manually review flags in the UIAffected if Any feature flag name contains HTML tags (<script>, <img onerror=, <svg onload=, etc.) or unusual encoded characters that could indicate XSS payload
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Check for unauthorized flag modificationsReview audit logs at /admin/audit_events or project audit logs for unexpected feature flag create/update events, particularly flags with suspicious namesAffected if Audit logs show feature flag changes you did not initiate, or flags with unexpected names
You are affected if your GitLab version is within the listed ranges AND Feature Flags are accessible, particularly if suspicious flag names exist or unauthorized flag changes appear in logs.
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 data13.11.613.12.614.0.2
Upgrade GitLab to the latest version receiving the security patch. If immediate upgrade is not possible, restrict Feature Flag creation/modification to trusted administrators only and monitor for suspicious flag names containing HTML/script content.
Fix this in GitLab
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 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 $3,984.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-22223 — 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-2021-22223 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