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GitLabApplication

CVE-2021-39903

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-11-04
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 14.2.6 / 14.3.4 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
In all versions of GitLab CE/EE since version 13.0, a privileged user, through an API call, can change the visibility level of a group or a project to a restricted option even after the instance administrator sets that visibility option as restricted in settings.

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 GitLab CE/EE versions 13.0 and later, the API endpoint for changing group or project visibility does not properly enforce administrator-configured visibility restrictions. A privileged user can bypass these restrictions via API calls to set visibility to restricted options that the instance administrator has explicitly disabled.

MitigationUpgrade GitLab to the patched version. As a compensating control, monitor API access logs for unauthorized visibility change attempts and consider restricting API token permissions for privileged users.

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:>= 13.0.0, < 14.2.6>= 14.3.0, < 14.3.4= 14.4.0

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/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. Determine installed GitLab version
    Run `sudo gitlab-rake gitlab:version` or check the GitLab admin dashboard under Help > Version. Alternatively, check the /opt/gitlab/version file.
    Affected if The installed version falls within these ranges: >= 13.0.0 and < 14.2.6; >= 14.3.0 and < 14.3.4; or exactly 14.4.0
  2. Verify administrator visibility restrictions are configured
    Log into GitLab as an administrator, navigate to Admin Area > Settings > Visibility and Access Controls. Check if any restrictions are enabled under 'Restricted visibility levels'.
    Affected if Visibility restrictions are configured (any restricted levels are enabled)
  3. Identify privileged users with API access
    Review user accounts with API access tokens (Personal Access Tokens, OAuth tokens, or Project/Group access tokens) who also have permission to modify group or project visibility settings.
    Affected if Privileged users with both API access and visibility modification permissions exist
  4. Audit recent visibility changes via API
    Search GitLab audit logs (Admin Area > Audit Events) or system logs for API requests to endpoints like PUT /groups/:id or PUT /projects/:id where the visibility parameter was changed. Use: `sudo gitlab-rails console` then `AuditEvent.where(entity_type: ['Group', 'Project'], action: 'update').where('details LIKE ?', '%visibility%')`.
    Affected if Any visibility change events occurred that set visibility to a level the administrator restricted

You are affected if your GitLab version is in the vulnerable range AND you have configured visibility restrictions in admin settings AND a privileged user could have used the API to set visibility to a restricted level.

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 14.2.6 / 14.3.4 or later
Fixed in 14.2.614.3.4
Interim mitigation

Upgrade GitLab to the patched version. As a compensating control, monitor API access logs for unauthorized visibility change attempts and consider restricting API token permissions for privileged users.

Recommended fix High confidence

GitLab 14.2.6, 14.3.4, or 14.4.1+ (depending on your current version branch)

  1. 1. Back up your GitLab instance data before proceeding with any upgrade.
  2. 2. Identify your current GitLab version by navigating to the GitLab admin area or running `gitlab-rake gitlab:env:info`.
  3. 3. If running version 13.x: Upgrade directly to GitLab 14.2.6 or later (14.3.4+ recommended).
  4. 4. If running version 14.2.x (prior to 14.2.6): Upgrade to GitLab 14.2.6 or later.
  5. 5. If running version 14.3.x (prior to 14.3.4): Upgrade to GitLab 14.3.4 or later.
  6. 6. If running version 14.4.0: Upgrade to GitLab 14.4.1 or later (or the next available stable release).
  7. 7. After upgrade, verify that the visibility restriction settings still function correctly by testing API calls with a privileged user attempting to set restricted visibility levels.
Caveat Major version upgrades (e.g., 13.x to 14.x) may require additional migration steps and have compatibility considerations; review GitLab upgrade documentation for your specific version jump.

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in GitLab Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,360
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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-2021-39903 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