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GitLabApplication

CVE-2021-39915

MEDIUM · 5.3 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-12-13
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 14.3.6 / 14.4.4 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
Improper access control in the GraphQL API in GitLab CE/EE affecting all versions starting from 13.0 before 14.3.6, all versions starting from 14.4 before 14.4.4, all versions starting from 14.5 before 14.5.2, allows an attacker to see the names of project access tokens on arbitrary projects

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

Improper access control in GitLab's GraphQL API allows unauthenticated or unauthorized users to enumerate project access token names on arbitrary projects. The GraphQL endpoint fails to properly validate user permissions before returning token name information.

MitigationUpgrade GitLab to version 14.3.6, 14.4.4, 14.5.2 or later. If immediate upgrade is not possible, consider restricting GraphQL API access or implementing additional access controls at the network layer.

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, < 14.3.6>= 14.4.0, < 14.4.4>= 14.5.0, < 14.5.2

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
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. Determine installed GitLab version
    Check the version via the Admin Area dashboard, or run `cat /opt/gitlab/version` on the GitLab server, or query the API endpoint `/api/v4/version`
    Affected if Version is 13.0.0 to 14.3.5, 14.4.0 to 14.4.3, or 14.5.0 to 14.5.1 (including 14.5.0)
  2. Verify GraphQL endpoint is accessible
    Attempt to reach the GraphQL endpoint at `https://your-gitlab-instance/api/graphql` without authentication using a curl request
    Affected if The endpoint responds (returns any GraphQL-related response rather than authentication error)
  3. Test unauthorized token name enumeration
    Send a GraphQL query to list project access tokens on a project you do not own or have no permission for, for example: `curl -X POST -H 'Content-Type: application/json' -d '{"query":"{ project(fullPath: \"any-public-project\") { accessTokens { nodes { name } } } }"}' https://your-gitlab/api/graphql`
    Affected if The query returns token names without requiring authentication or proper authorization credentials

A user is affected if their GitLab version falls within the vulnerable ranges AND the GraphQL endpoint is exposed without strict access controls, allowing unauthorized token name enumeration.

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 14.3.6 / 14.4.4 / 14.5.2 or later
Fixed in 14.3.614.4.414.5.2
Interim mitigation

Upgrade GitLab to version 14.3.6, 14.4.4, 14.5.2 or later. If immediate upgrade is not possible, consider restricting GraphQL API access or implementing additional access controls at the network layer.

Recommended fix High confidence

14.3.6, 14.4.4, or 14.5.2 or later

  1. 1. Back up your GitLab instance data and configuration
  2. 2. Ensure you are currently running one of the affected versions: 13.0.0 through 14.3.5, 14.4.0 through 14.4.3, or 14.5.0 through 14.5.1
  3. 3. Plan maintenance window as upgrade may require downtime
  4. 4. For GitLab self-managed: Follow official upgrade documentation for your installation method (Omnibus or source)
  5. 5. For GitLab self-managed: Stop GitLab services before upgrade
  6. 6. For GitLab self-managed: Run database migrations after upgrade with 'gitlab-rake db:migrate'
  7. 7. For GitLab.com: No action required - GitLab handles server-side updates
  8. 8. Verify the upgrade by checking the GraphQL API access control behavior
Caveat Patch releases typically have minimal breaking changes; review GitLab release notes for any known issues

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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An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,560.

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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-2021-39915 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