How severe is CVE-2021-22205?

CVE-2021-22205 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 10.0, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2021-22205 being actively exploited?

Yes. CVE-2021-22205 is on CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, added on 2021-11-03, which means active exploitation has been confirmed. It should be prioritised for remediation.

What products are affected by CVE-2021-22205?

CVE-2021-22205 primarily affects Gitlab. In total, 2 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2021-22205?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Because this CVE is known to be actively exploited, treat remediation as urgent — CISA KEV typically sets a short remediation deadline.

Does CVE-2021-22205 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?

Yes. CVE-2021-22205 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2021-9351. It is also flagged as exploited in the EUVD (since 2021-11-03).

When was CVE-2021-22205 published?

CVE-2021-22205 was published on 2021-04-23 and last updated on 2026-08-06.

CVE-2021-22205

CVE-2021-22205 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Gitlab with a CVSS 3.x base score of 10.0. It is listed in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, confirming it has been exploited in the wild (added 2021-11-03). The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-94.

Key facts

Severity: Critical (CVSS 3.x base score 10.0)
CVSS v2: 7.5
EPSS exploit prediction: 100% (100th percentile)
Actively exploited: Yes — listed in CISA KEV (added 2021-11-03)
EU (EUVD) id: EUVD-2021-9351
EU exploitation: Flagged exploited in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (since 2021-11-03)
Weakness: CWE-94
Affected product: Gitlab
Published: 2021-04-23
Last modified: 2026-08-06

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.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2021-22205?: 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.
How severe is CVE-2021-22205?: CVE-2021-22205 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 10.0, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2021-22205 being actively exploited?: Yes. CVE-2021-22205 is on CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, added on 2021-11-03, which means active exploitation has been confirmed. It should be prioritised for remediation.
What products are affected by CVE-2021-22205?: CVE-2021-22205 primarily affects Gitlab. In total, 2 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2021-22205?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Because this CVE is known to be actively exploited, treat remediation as urgent — CISA KEV typically sets a short remediation deadline.
Does CVE-2021-22205 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?: Yes. CVE-2021-22205 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2021-9351. It is also flagged as exploited in the EUVD (since 2021-11-03).
When was CVE-2021-22205 published?: CVE-2021-22205 was published on 2021-04-23 and last updated on 2026-08-06.

References

Affected products (2)

cpe:2.3:a:gitlab:gitlab:*:*:*:*:community:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:gitlab:gitlab:*:*:*:*:enterprise:*:*:*

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