GitLabApplication
CVE-2021-22225
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 markdown in GitLab version 13.11 and up allows an attacker to exploit a stored cross-site scripting vulnerability via a specially-crafted markdown
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's markdown rendering engine due to insufficient input sanitization. Attackers can inject malicious JavaScript via specially-crafted markdown that gets stored in the system and executes when other users view the rendered 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
>= 13.11.3, < 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
- 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 installed GitLab versionRun `gitlab-rake gitlab:env:info` or check the GitLab admin panel under /help for the version numberAffected if The reported version falls within any of these ranges: 13.11.3 to 13.11.5, 13.12.0 to 13.12.5, or 14.0.0 to 14.0.1
-
Confirm markdown rendering is activeGitLab renders markdown by default for issues, merge requests, comments, and wiki pages. No special configuration change needed - this is the default behavior.Affected if Markdown rendering is enabled (default state means vulnerability is present if version is affected)
-
Check for suspicious markdown content in issues or merge requestsSearch GitLab database or review recent issues/MRs for unusual script tags or javascript: URLs in markdown content using the web UI or APIAffected if Malicious markdown containing script tags, event handlers, or javascript: URIs is found in stored content
-
Review GitLab audit logs for XSS exploitationCheck Admin Area > Monitoring > Audit Events for entries containing rendered markdown or unusual script executionsAffected if Audit logs show unexpected script execution or XSS attempts in markdown-related events
You are affected if your GitLab version is 13.11.3-13.11.5, 13.12.0-13.12.5, or 14.0.0-14.0.1 and markdown rendering (enabled by default) is in use.
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 patched version that implements proper sanitization of markdown input, or implement output encoding as a defense-in-depth measure at the presentation layer.
Fix this in GitLab
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation4.0 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 $3,408.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-22225 — 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-2021-22225 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