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 vulnerability.
The record classifies CVE-2021-22205 under weakness class CWE-94. Its CVSS v3 base vector states that the flaw is reachable remotely over the network, needs no prior authentication, needs no user interaction, and has high impact on confidentiality, integrity, availability. 2 affected-product entries are recorded, across 1 vendor, listed below. The identifier was first published 2014 days ago.
Severity and exploitation probability
- CVSS v3.1 base score
- 10 — CRITICAL
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H - EPSS (FIRST)
- 99.7% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 99.9% of all scored CVEs
- CISA KEV
- Listed since 2021-11-03, federal remediation deadline 2021-11-17 — used in known ransomware campaigns
- Threadlinqs priority
- 10/10 — CISA lists it as used in ransomware, which Threadlinqs scores at the maximum
- Published
- 2021-04-23, last modified 2026-08-06
Is CVE-2021-22205 being exploited?
CISA added CVE-2021-22205 to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2021-11-03, which means the agency holds evidence of exploitation in the wild; US federal civilian agencies had to remediate it by 2021-11-17 under BOD 22-01. CISA flags the vulnerability as one used in known ransomware campaigns. Weaponised exploit code for CVE-2021-22205 is publicly available. 11 public proof-of-concept repositories are tracked for this identifier. A ProjectDiscovery Nuclei detection template exists (http/cves/2021/CVE-2021-22205.yaml). It currently carries a trending score of 50 in the Threadlinqs vulnerability feed.
- Al1ex/CVE-2021-22205 (github)
- inspiringz/CVE-2021-22205 (github)
- mr-r3bot/Gitlab-CVE-2021-22205 (github)
- XTeam-Wing/CVE-2021-22205 (github)
- r0eXpeR/CVE-2021-22205 (github)
- whwlsfb/CVE-2021-22205 (github)
- c0okB/CVE-2021-22205 (github)
- keven1z/CVE-2021-22205 (github)
Affected products and versions
- Gitlab: Gitlab
Showing 1 of 2 recorded product entries.
How to fix CVE-2021-22205
The record marks a vendor fix as available for CVE-2021-22205. Vendor advisory: https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/cves/-/blob/master/2021/CVE-2021-22205.json. Because CVE-2021-22205 is KEV-listed, US federal civilian agencies were required to apply the vendor fix, or stop using the product, by 2021-11-17. Apply the vendor fix referenced above to every affected product listed in this record, then confirm the running version against the vendor advisory.
Threat activity tracking CVE-2021-22205
4 tracked threats in the Threadlinqs corpus reference CVE-2021-22205, either in the campaign’s CVE list or as an indicator on the campaign record.
- FBI/DOJ Seize Microscan Vulnerability Scanner and FishHub Spear-Phishing Infrastructure Operated by China-Based Integrity Technology Group (Flax Typhoon-linked) — HIGH · 2026-10-09
- Chinese Government-linked Actors Enabled by Integrity Technology Group Combine Automated and Hands-on Hacking Tools to Steal Sensitive Data (CISA AA26-281A) — HIGH · 2026-10-08
- Fodcha — Cross-Architecture DDoS Botnet Spreading via N-Day Exploits (CVE-2021-22205, CVE-2021-35394) and Telnet/SSH Brute-Force, Later Adding Ransom DDoS — HIGH · 2026-06-10
- APT35 (Charming Kitten) GCC Pre-Positioning Cyber Reconnaissance Campaign Enabling Kinetic Targeting — CRITICAL · 2026-04-09
Sources
Enriched from CVE.org, FIRST EPSS, CISA KEV, public proof-of-concept repositories, ProjectDiscovery Nuclei. Last verified by Threadlinqs on .