CVE-2021-22186 Explained : Impact and Mitigation

An in-depth look at the CVE-2021-22186 vulnerability discovered in GitLab, affecting versions >=9.4 and <13.9.2.

Understanding CVE-2021-22186

This section provides insights into the impact and technical details of the CVE-2021-22186 vulnerability in GitLab.

What is CVE-2021-22186?

CVE-2021-22186 is an authorization issue in GitLab CE/EE versions >=9.4, allowing a group maintainer to modify group CI/CD variables restricted to group owners.

The Impact of CVE-2021-22186

The vulnerability has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 4.9 (Medium severity) with high confidentiality impact but no availability or integrity impact. Privileges required are high.

Technical Details of CVE-2021-22186

Detailing the vulnerability's description, affected systems, versions, and exploitation mechanism.

Vulnerability Description

An improper authorization issue in GitLab versions >=9.4, <13.9.2 enables group maintainers to manipulate group CI/CD variables intended for group owners.

Affected Systems and Versions

GitLab versions affected by CVE-2021-22186 include >=9.4, <13.7.8, >=13.8, <13.8.5, and >=13.9, <13.9.2.

Exploitation Mechanism

The vulnerability can be exploited by a group maintainer to unauthorizedly modify group CI/CD variables, breaching data confidentiality.

Mitigation and Prevention

Guidelines on immediate steps to take, long-term security practices, and patching updates for CVE-2021-22186.

Immediate Steps to Take

Organizations are advised to restrict group maintainer permissions to prevent unauthorized modification of group CI/CD variables.

Long-Term Security Practices

Implement least privilege access control policies and conduct regular security audits to identify and address similar authorization issues.

Patching and Updates

GitLab users should update their systems to versions beyond 13.9.2 to mitigate the CVE-2021-22186 vulnerability.