GitLabApplication
CVE-2021-22256
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 · uneditedImproper authorization in GitLab CE/EE affecting all versions since 12.6 allowed guest users to create issues for Sentry errors and track their status
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 confidenceImproper authorization in GitLab CE/EE allowed guest users (who normally have read-only access) to create issues for Sentry errors and track their status. This authorization bypass enabled users with guest-level permissions to perform write operations they should not have been able to do.
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
>= 12.6.0, < 13.12.9>= 14.0.0, < 14.0.7>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.2CVSS 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
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/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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Determine installed GitLab versionNavigate to Admin Area > Overview > Dashboard, or check via CLI with `gitlab-rake gitlab:env:info` or check the /opt/gitlab/version fileAffected if The version falls within 12.6.0 to 13.12.8, 14.0.0 to 14.0.6, or 14.1.0 to 14.1.1
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Verify Sentry integration is enabledGo to Project Settings > Integrations > Sentry, or check via API: `GET /projects/:id/integrations`Affected if Sentry integration is active on any project where guest users have access
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Confirm guest user access existsCheck project or group member settings for users assigned the Guest role, or query via API: `GET /projects/:id/members/all`Affected if Guest users are present or can be added to projects with Sentry integration enabled
You are affected if your GitLab version is within the affected ranges AND Sentry integration is enabled on projects where guest users have access.
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 · scoped13.12.914.0.714.1.2
Upgrade GitLab to version 13.12.14, 14.0.11, 14.1.7, or later to remediate the improper authorization vulnerability.
GitLab 14.1.2 (or latest stable in your major version branch)
- Backup your GitLab instance data before proceeding with the upgrade
- Review the GitLab upgrade documentation for your current version to ensure compatibility
- Plan for appropriate downtime during the upgrade process
- Upgrade to GitLab 14.1.2 or later (if on the 14.1.x line), 14.0.7 or later (if on the 14.0.x line), or 13.12.9 or later (if on the 13.x line)
- Alternatively, upgrade to the latest stable release in your major version branch
- After upgrade, verify that guest users can no longer create issues for Sentry errors
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in GitLab
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 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 $3,088.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-22256 — 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-2021-22256 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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- 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
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