Vulnary
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Critical· 10actively exploitedofficial fix available

CVE-2021-22205

GitLab Community and Enterprise Editions from version 11.9 onward are vulnerable to remote command execution because image files are not properly validated. An attacker can upload a malicious image and run arbitrary commands on the server. The flaw is critical and has been exploited in the wild.

publishedApr 23, 2021
last modifiedAug 6, 2026
sourcesNVD · CISA-KEV
severity · cvss
10
critical · how bad it is
exploitation · epss
100%
100th percentile · chance of exploitation in 30 days
(ai-assisted) A model wrote this summary from the official data, so double-check it against the source before you act on it. Read the official advisory →
auto-deletes from the system
counting…on Aug 31, 2026

An official fix is available, so this entry is kept for 30 days and then removed automatically.

01

Who is affected

GitLab Community Edition and Enterprise Edition, all versions starting with 11.9. Typical users are organizations hosting GitLab on their own infrastructure.

02

Real-world impact

An attacker can execute arbitrary commands on the GitLab server, potentially taking full control, exfiltrating data, or disrupting services.

03

Why this severity

The CVSS score of 10 reflects that the vulnerability can be exploited over the network without authentication or user interaction, and it allows an attacker to compromise confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected system.

04

What to do about it

official fix available
recommended steps
  1. 01Update GitLab to a patched version as per vendor instructions.
  2. 02Restart GitLab services.

CISA KEV required action

05

Timeline

  1. Apr 23, 2021 · Apr 23, 2021
    Published
    Disclosed and added to the National Vulnerability Database.
  2. Nov 3, 2021 · Nov 3, 2021
    Confirmed exploited (CISA KEV)
    CISA added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog — attackers are using it in the wild.
  3. Nov 17, 2021 · Nov 17, 2021
    CISA remediation deadline
    Federal agencies are required to remediate by this date.
  4. Aug 1, 2026 · 5d ago
    Official fix available
    A vendor patch or mitigation now exists — see the remediation steps above.
  5. Aug 6, 2026 · 4h ago
    Advisory updated
    The NVD record was last revised.
06

How it’s attacked

Attack vectorNetwork (remote)
Attack complexityLow
Privileges requiredNone
User interactionNone needed
ScopeChanged
Confidentiality impactHigh
Integrity impactHigh
Availability impactHigh
07

References & advisories

NVD advisory ↗CISA KEV catalog ↗Search advisories ↗
(ai-assisted) A model wrote this summary from the official data, so double-check it against the source before you act on it. Read the official advisory →