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GitLabApplication

CVE-2021-39880

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-10-05
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 14.0.9 / 14.1.4 or later.
See remediation →
71/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable 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
A Denial Of Service vulnerability in the apollo_upload_server Ruby gem in GitLab CE/EE all versions starting from 11.9 before 14.0.9, all versions starting from 14.1 before 14.1.4, and all versions starting from 14.2 before 14.2.2 allows an attacker to deny access to all users via specially crafted requests to the apollo_upload_server middleware.

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 confidence

A Denial of Service vulnerability exists in the apollo_upload_server Ruby gem used by GitLab CE/EE. Attackers can send specially crafted requests to the apollo_upload_server middleware, causing the service to become unavailable to all users.

MitigationUpgrade GitLab to version 14.0.9 or later for 14.0.x branches, 14.1.4 or later for 14.1.x branches, or 14.2.2 or later for 14.2.x branches to patch the vulnerable apollo_upload_server component.

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:> 11.9.0, < 14.0.9>= 11.9.0, < 14.0.9> 14.1.0, < 14.1.4>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.4>= 14.2.0, < 14.2.2

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
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

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

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

  1. Identify GitLab installation
    Locate the GitLab installation and determine its version. On Linux servers with omnibus packages, run `cat /opt/gitlab/version` or `gitlab-rake gitlab:env:info`. In Kubernetes, check the deployment or helm values.
    Affected if Cannot retrieve a version number from the GitLab installation
  2. Compare installed version to affected ranges
    Review the version retrieved in step 1 against these ranges: 14.0.x versions before 14.0.9, 14.1.x versions before 14.1.4, or 14.2.x versions before 14.2.2. Also note versions > 11.9.0 but < 14.0.9.
    Affected if The installed version falls within any of these ranges: > 11.9.0 and < 14.0.9, OR >= 14.1.0 and < 14.1.4, OR >= 14.2.0 and < 14.2.2
  3. Verify apollo_upload_server is accessible
    The vulnerability exists in the apollo_upload_server middleware. Determine if GraphQL upload functionality is exposed by checking if the `/api/graphql` endpoint or GraphQL upload mutations are accessible on your GitLab instance.
    Affected if GraphQL API endpoints are exposed externally or to untrusted users on the affected GitLab version
  4. Confirm external attack surface
    Assess whether the GitLab instance is directly reachable from the internet or untrusted networks. The DoS impact requires sending crafted requests to the apollo_upload_server middleware.
    Affected if The GitLab web interface or API is accessible from external or untrusted networks and the version is affected

If your GitLab version falls within 14.0.x < 14.0.9, 14.1.x < 14.1.4, or 14.2.x < 14.2.2 (or > 11.9.0 but < 14.0.9) AND the GraphQL API is accessible, your environment is likely affected by this DoS vulnerability.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 14.0.9 / 14.1.4 / 14.2.2 or later
Fixed in 14.0.914.1.414.2.2
Interim mitigation

Upgrade GitLab to version 14.0.9 or later for 14.0.x branches, 14.1.4 or later for 14.1.x branches, or 14.2.2 or later for 14.2.x branches to patch the vulnerable apollo_upload_server component.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to GitLab 14.2.2 or later (14.0.9 for the 14.0.x branch, 14.1.4 for the 14.1.x branch)

  1. 1. Back up your GitLab instance data and configuration
  2. 2. Schedule a maintenance window as the upgrade may require downtime
  3. 3. For GitLab installations using the official omnibus package, run: sudo gitlab-ctl stop
  4. 4. Update GitLab to version 14.2.2 or later using your installation method (omnibus, source, or Docker)
  5. 5. For omnibus: sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install gitlab-ce (or gitlab-ee) or follow the standard upgrade path for your package manager
  6. 6. After upgrade completes, run: sudo gitlab-ctl start
  7. 7. Verify the GitLab version by checking Help > Version in the web UI or running: sudo gitlab-rake gitlab:env:info
  8. 8. Test that the apollo_upload_server functionality works correctly if used in your instance
Caveat Review GitLab 14.2 release notes for any breaking changes between your current version and 14.2.2; minor version upgrades typically have low risk but always test in staging first

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 / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
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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-2021-39880 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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