Security readout for executives and security teams
This vulnerability lets an unauthenticated attacker execute commands on vulnerable self-managed GitLab CE/EE servers by abusing image file parsing. For an exposed instance, compromise could affect source code, credentials, CI/CD secrets, and service availability. CISA lists it as known exploited, so treat legacy vulnerable GitLab systems as urgent. Organizations are exposed if they run self-managed GitLab CE/EE in the affected version ranges, especially internet-facing instances. The bundle does not identify exposure for other GitLab products or provide environment-specific indicators. Immediate action is warranted for any vulnerable self-managed GitLab instance. This is a critical, remotely exploitable flaw with confirmed known exploitation and potential impact to source code, secrets, pipelines, and infrastructure trust. Mitigation focus: Upgrade affected GitLab CE/EE instances to 13.8.8, 13.9.6, 13.10.3, or later.; Prefer upgrading to a currently supported GitLab release per vendor guidance.; Prioritize internet-facing and production GitLab instances first..
Michael Williams reviewed this cited source version on .
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CWE-94: Code execution behavior lookup
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Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2021-22205 mapping review
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Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Critical
- CVSS
- 10 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- Yes
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
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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:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H3.96Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
10CriticalVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://hackerone.com/reports/1154542CVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
- https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/327121CVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
- https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/cves/-/blob/master/2021/CVE-2021-22205.jsonCVE reference · x_refsource_CONFIRM
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2021-22205CVE 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.
Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection')
Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection') represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.