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GitLabApplication

CVE-2022-1190

MEDIUM · 5.4 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-04-04
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 14.7.7 / 14.8.5 or later.
See remediation →
58/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
High EPSS Remotely reachable

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 handling of user input in GitLab CE/EE versions 8.3 prior to 14.7.7, 14.8 prior to 14.8.5, and 14.9 prior to 14.9.2 allowed an attacker to exploit a stored XSS by abusing multi-word milestone references in issue descriptions, comments, etc.

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 stored cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in GitLab CE/EE allows attackers to inject malicious scripts via multi-word milestone references in issue descriptions, comments, and other user-controllable fields. The application fails to properly sanitize milestone input before rendering it, enabling persistent script execution in the context of other users viewing the content.

MitigationUpgrade GitLab to version 14.7.7, 14.8.5, 14.9.2 or later. Until patched, restrict or moderate user contributions containing milestone references.

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:>= 8.3.0, < 14.7.7>= 14.8.0, < 14.8.5>= 14.9.0, < 14.9.2

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
Required
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

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

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

  1. Determine installed GitLab version
    Run command `gitlab-rake gitlab:env:info` or check the GitLab admin dashboard under Help > Version. Alternatively, check the /opt/gitlab/version file if self-hosted.
    Affected if Version falls within 8.3.0 to 14.7.6, 14.8.0 to 14.8.4, or 14.9.0 to 14.9.1.
  2. Verify milestone feature is accessible
    Log in as an authenticated user and navigate to a project. Check if the Milestones feature is visible under the project Issues or Merge Requests menu, or attempt to create a milestone via the UI or API.
    Affected if Users can create or reference milestones within projects.
  3. Confirm user-controllable content fields exist
    Navigate to any existing issue or open a new issue. Verify that the description and comment fields are editable by non-admin users.
    Affected if Users have the ability to create or edit issues, comments, or other content fields where milestone references can be inserted.
  4. Inspect milestone rendering in content
    Create a test issue with a multi-word milestone reference (e.g., enclose text resembling a milestone in double quotes like "my milestone"). Save and view the rendered content. Examine the page source or use browser developer tools to check if the milestone text is properly escaped.
    Affected if The milestone reference is rendered without proper HTML encoding, allowing script execution in another user's browser.

You are affected if your GitLab version is within the listed vulnerable ranges and users can create or reference milestones in issues, comments, or other user-editable content fields.

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 14.7.7 / 14.8.5 / 14.9.2 or later
Fixed in 14.7.714.8.514.9.2
Interim mitigation

Upgrade GitLab to version 14.7.7, 14.8.5, 14.9.2 or later. Until patched, restrict or moderate user contributions containing milestone references.

Recommended fix High confidence

14.9.2 or later (latest stable 14.x release recommended)

  1. 1. Back up your GitLab instance database and configuration files
  2. 2. Stop the GitLab service to prevent data inconsistency during upgrade
  3. 3. Update GitLab to version 14.9.2 or later (preferably the latest stable 14.x release) using your package manager or source installation method
  4. 4. Run 'gitlab-ctl reconfigure' to apply configuration changes
  5. 5. Restart the GitLab service with 'gitlab-ctl restart'
  6. 6. Verify the upgrade by checking the GitLab version at Admin Area > Settings > General > GitLab configuration
  7. 7. Test milestone references in issues and comments to confirm the XSS vulnerability is resolved
Caveat Minor version upgrades within 14.x typically have minimal breaking changes; however, always review GitLab release notes before upgrading across major versions

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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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2022-1190 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