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CVE-2021-22205

GitLab Community and Enterprise Editions Remote Code Execution

10.0 CRITICALActively exploited (CISA KEV)Used in ransomwarePublic exploitEPSS 99.7%
  1. Published23 Apr 2021
  2. Added to CISA KEV3 Nov 2021
  3. Remediation due17 Nov 2021
Actively exploited (CISA KEV)

GitHub Community and Enterprise Editions that utilize the ability to upload images through GitLab Workhorse are vulnerable to remote code execution. Workhorse passes image file extensions through ExifTool, which improperly validates the image files.

Added to KEV: 3 Nov 2021Federal remediation due: 17 Nov 2021Used in ransomware

Description

An issue has been discovered in GitLab CE/EE affecting all versions starting from 11.9. GitLab was not properly validating image files that were passed to a file parser which resulted in a remote command execution.

CVSS 3.1 breakdown

Attack vectorNetwork
Attack complexityLow
Privileges requiredNone
User interactionNone
ScopeChanged
ConfidentialityHigh
IntegrityHigh
AvailabilityHigh
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

Affected products

GitLab≥ 11.9.0 < 13.8.8 · ≥ 13.10.0 < 13.10.3 · ≥ 13.9.0 < 13.9.6

Remediation

Fixed in
GitLab≥ 13.8.8

References

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Frequently asked

Is CVE-2021-22205 being actively exploited?

Yes. CVE-2021-22205 is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, added 3 Nov 2021. It has been used in ransomware campaigns.

How severe is CVE-2021-22205?

CVE-2021-22205 has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 10.0, rated critical. EPSS estimates a 99.7% probability of exploitation.

Which products are affected by CVE-2021-22205?

Affected products include GitLab.

How do I fix CVE-2021-22205?

Upgrade affected software to a fixed version, for example GitLab 13.8.8 or later, then confirm no affected versions remain in your inventory.

How Secuno handles this

Secuno correlates vulnerabilities like CVE-2021-22205 against the real software inventory on every managed device, every day. Rather than a static severity, each match is scored in context: exploit availability, EPSS, the asset's exposure, and business criticality decide where it lands in the queue. Because it is on the CISA KEV list, Secuno flags any affected asset as top-priority automatically. If an affected version is present anywhere across your portfolio, it surfaces automatically with a prioritised remediation path.

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Data from the NVD, CISA KEV catalog and FIRST EPSS. CVSS 3.1 base score shown where available.