CVE-2021-39899 : Exploit Details and Defense Strategies

This CVE article provides details about a vulnerability found in GitLab versions.

Understanding CVE-2021-39899

This section delves into the specifics of the CVE-2021-39899 vulnerability affecting GitLab.

What is CVE-2021-39899?

In all versions of GitLab CE/EE, this vulnerability allows an attacker with physical access to a user's machine to potentially brute force the user's password via the change password function.

The Impact of CVE-2021-39899

The vulnerability has a low severity base score of 2.9 under CVSS v3.1. Attack complexity is high, exploiting physical access, but with no impact on availability.

Technical Details of CVE-2021-39899

This section provides a deeper dive into the technical aspects of the CVE-2021-39899 vulnerability.

Vulnerability Description

The issue arises from improper restriction of excessive authentication attempts in GitLab, enabling password brute forcing.

Affected Systems and Versions

Affected Product: GitLab
Versions: >=1.0, <14.1.7; >=14.2, <14.2.5; >=14.3, <14.3.1

Exploitation Mechanism

Attacker gains physical access to user's machine
Utilizes compromised session values to attempt brute force attacks

Mitigation and Prevention

Explore the measures to address and prevent this vulnerability.

Immediate Steps to Take

Implement strong, unique passwords
Regularly monitor for unauthorized access

Long-Term Security Practices

Enable multi-factor authentication
Educate users on password security best practices

Patching and Updates

Apply the latest security patches released by GitLab