CVE-2021-39886 Explained : Impact and Mitigation

This CVE article provides details about a vulnerability discovered in GitLab versions 10.6 up to 14.1.7, allowing unauthorized access to confidential Epic references.

Understanding CVE-2021-39886

This section delves into the specifics of the CVE-2021-39886 vulnerability.

What is CVE-2021-39886?

Permissions rules were not enforced during the movement of issues between projects under the same group in GitLab versions 10.6 to 14.1.7. This flaw enabled users to access confidential Epic references.

The Impact of CVE-2021-39886

The impact of this vulnerability is rated as low severity with an overall base score of 2.6 according to CVSS v3.1 metrics.

Technical Details of CVE-2021-39886

This section provides technical details of the CVE-2021-39886 vulnerability.

Vulnerability Description

Insufficient application of permission rules in GitLab versions 10.6 to 14.1.7 allowed users to view confidential Epic references when moving issues between projects of the same group.

Affected Systems and Versions

Product: GitLab
Vendor: GitLab
Affected Versions:
=10.6, <14.1.7

=14.2, <14.2.5

=14.3, <14.3.1

Exploitation Mechanism

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: High
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: Required
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality Impact: Low

Mitigation and Prevention

This section outlines steps to mitigate and prevent potential exploitation of the CVE-2021-39886 vulnerability.

Immediate Steps to Take

Upgrade GitLab to a version that includes the security patches.
Monitor and restrict access to confidential information.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly review and update permission settings within GitLab.
Conduct security training for users to raise awareness on data protection.

Patching and Updates

Keep GitLab up to date with the latest security patches.