Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2021-22175 lets an unauthenticated attacker abuse certain GitLab webhook behavior to reach internal network resources from the GitLab server. The issue matters because it can expose sensitive internal information even when user registration is disabled.
Executive priority
Treat this as urgent for exposed GitLab servers because CISA lists it as known exploited and the issue can disclose sensitive internal information. Prioritize internet-facing and production GitLab instances first.
Technical view
This is a GitLab server-side request forgery issue, CWE-918. It affects GitLab versions from 10.5 through the listed vulnerable release ranges when internal-network requests for webhooks are enabled. CVSS 3.1 is 6.8, with high confidentiality impact and no integrity or availability impact stated.
Likely exposure
Self-managed GitLab instances in the affected ranges are the primary concern, especially internet-facing systems with internal-network webhook requests enabled. Registration being disabled does not remove exposure according to the CVE description.
Exploitation context
CISA KEV listing indicates known exploitation. The supplied sources do not provide current campaign details, exploit volume, or confirmed targets, so operational assumptions should stay limited to verified exposure and KEV-driven urgency.
Researcher notes
Evidence supports SSRF in GitLab webhook handling under a specific configuration precondition. The bundle confirms affected ranges and KEV status, but does not provide safe validation payloads, detailed indicators, or complete remediation text.
Mitigation direction
- Upgrade GitLab to a version outside the affected ranges.
- Check GitLab vendor guidance for the exact supported fixed release.
- Disable internal-network requests for webhooks if not required.
- Restrict GitLab server egress to only required destinations.
- Prioritize KEV-driven remediation timelines for exposed instances.
Validation and detection
- Inventory all self-managed GitLab versions.
- Check whether webhook internal-network requests are enabled.
- Confirm whether each instance falls in the affected version ranges.
- Review logs for unusual webhook-related internal requests.
- Verify egress controls limit access to sensitive internal services.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-918: Information exposure and cloud metadata lookup
Information exposure and SSRF weaknesses can make discovery, cloud metadata, and credential material review relevant. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCloud metadata behavior lookup
The CVE wording references SSRF or metadata access, so cloud discovery and credential material review may help. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2021-22175 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Medium
- CVSS
- 6.8 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- Yes
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CISA KEV status
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N2.24Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
6.8MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/294178CVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
- https://hackerone.com/reports/1059596CVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
- https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/cves/-/blob/master/2021/CVE-2021-22175.jsonCVE reference · x_refsource_CONFIRM
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2021-22175CVE reference · government-resource
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF)
Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.