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GitLabApplication

CVE-2021-39898

MEDIUM · 5.3 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-11-05
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 14.1.7 / 14.2.5 or later.
See remediation →
62/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
In all versions of GitLab CE/EE since version 10.6, a project export leaks the external webhook token value which may allow access to the project which it was exported from.

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

In all versions of GitLab CE/EE since version 10.6, project export functionality includes external webhook tokens in the exported data. An attacker with access to the exported project file could extract these tokens and use them to interact with the project's webhook endpoints, potentially gaining unauthorized access.

MitigationUpgrade to a patched version of GitLab. Additionally, rotate any external webhook tokens that may have been exposed in prior project exports as a precautionary measure.

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:>= 10.6.0, < 14.1.7>= 14.2.0, < 14.2.5= 14.3.0

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
Low
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/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 your GitLab version
    Run `gitlab-rake gitlab:env:info` or check the GitLab admin area to find the exact version number of your GitLab installation
    Affected if The version falls within 10.6.0 to 14.1.6, 14.2.0 to 14.2.4, or is exactly 14.3.0
  2. Identify project exports in your environment
    Check the filesystem for exported project archives. Default storage locations include `/var/opt/gitlab/gitlab-rails/shared/exports/` or check your configured object storage bucket if external storage is used
    Affected if Any project export files exist from the affected version range
  3. Verify project export feature usage
    Review GitLab audit logs for `export` events using `gitlab-rails console` or the UI audit log section to see which projects were exported
    Affected if Projects were exported using the project export feature in affected versions
  4. Inspect exported archives for webhook tokens
    Extract a project export archive and search for webhook token strings in the export JSON files, particularly in project settings or webhook configuration files
    Affected if The exported data contains plaintext external webhook tokens

You are affected if your GitLab version is in the vulnerable range AND you have exported any projects in that version, as the tokens are only exposed in the exported archive files.

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 14.1.7 / 14.2.5 or later
Fixed in 14.1.714.2.5
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to a patched version of GitLab. Additionally, rotate any external webhook tokens that may have been exposed in prior project exports as a precautionary measure.

Recommended fix High confidence

14.1.7, 14.2.5, or 14.3.1 (or later stable release)

  1. 1. Back up your GitLab instance database and configuration before upgrading
  2. 2. Identify your current GitLab version by running `gitlab-rake gitlab:env:info`
  3. 3. For GitLab versions < 14.1.7: Upgrade to version 14.1.7 or later
  4. 4. For GitLab versions >= 14.2.0 and < 14.2.5: Upgrade to version 14.2.5 or later
  5. 5. For GitLab version 14.3.0: Upgrade to version 14.3.1 or later
  6. 6. After upgrade, verify the fix by exporting a project and confirming webhook tokens are no longer included in the export
Caveat Major version upgrades (e.g., 13.x to 14.x) may require additional migration steps; review GitLab upgrade documentation for prerequisites

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
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
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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-2021-39898 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