What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-22205?

CVE-2021-22205 has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 10.0 (Critical). CVSS vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H. EPSS exploitation probability: 99.7%.

Is there a public PoC exploit available for CVE-2021-22205?

Yes, a public proof-of-concept exploit is available for CVE-2021-22205. Prioritise patching immediately. EPSS: 99.7%.

Gitlab CVE-2021-22205

CRITICAL

Code Injection (CWE-94)

2021-04-23 cve@gitlab.com

RCE Gitlab Code Injection

10.0

CVSS 3.1 · NVD

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Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness	CWE CWE-94 OWASP Top 10:2025 A05:2025 - Injection ASVS 5.0 V1 - Encoding and Sanitization Code injection prevention, sandbox exec MITRE ATT&CK 2 techniques across 2 tactics: Execution, Initial Access The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up. Sign in to read
Impact	CVSS score of 10.0 (CRITICAL). Attack characteristics: network attack vector, low complexity, no privileges required, no user interaction not required. Public proof-of-concept exploit code is available.
Exploit ScenarioDerived	A remote attacker could inject and execute arbitrary code within the application by sending crafted requests to the affected application. No authentication is required to exploit this vulnerability.

Emergency Immediate action required. Why: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited), no patch available.

Exploited in the wild (CISA KEV) No patch listed yet 99.7% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAI

An issue has been discovered in GitLab CE/EE affecting all versions starting from 11.9. Rated critical severity (CVSS 10.0), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.

RemediationAI

No vendor patch is available at time of analysis. Monitor vendor advisories for updates. Never evaluate user-controlled input as code. Use sandboxing, disable dangerous functions, apply strict input validation.

Affects your stack

Find out whether the stacks and servers you run are on an affected version.

Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.

Technical ContextAI · show details

This vulnerability is classified as Code Injection (CWE-94), which allows attackers to inject and execute arbitrary code within the application. 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. Affected products include: Gitlab.

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Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

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Severity by source

NVD PRIMARY 10.0 CRITICAL

AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

Primary rating from NVD · only source for this CVE.

CVSS VectorNVD

Attack Vector

Network

Attack Complexity

Low

Privileges Required

None

User Interaction

None

Scope

Changed

Confidentiality

High

Integrity

High

Availability

High

Lifecycle Timeline

Added to CISA KEV

Jul 14, 2026 - 04:22 CISA

CVE Published

Apr 23, 2021 - 18:15 nvd

CRITICAL 10.0

DescriptionNVD

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.

Threat Intelligence Overview

Threat Score

8.0/10

Composite threat intelligence

EPSS Score

99.7%

Top 0% exploitable

Threat Intel

1 sources

Exploit

POC

Public exploit code exists

Data Quality

6 sources

Confidence: High

NVD

CVE.org

CISA KEV

EPSS CISA POC (2)

Exploit-DB

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue

Severity CRITICAL

CISA KEV Yes

Public POC Yes

EPSS 99.7%

Patch available No

Active threat Yes

Deciding rule

CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited), no patch available

What every action level means

Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.

Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.

This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.

Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision· derived

Immediate

Exploitation· derived

Active

System Exposure· derived

Open

Automatable· derived

Yes

Human Impact· derived

High

Priority Score

245

Low Medium High Critical

KEV: +50

EPSS: +100

CVSS: +50

PoC: +20

Weaponized: +15

Threat intel: +10

Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Code Injection CRITICAL

Code injection occurs when an application accepts user input and passes it directly into a language interpreter or evaluator without proper sanitization.

Remote Code Execution CRITICAL

Remote Code Execution represents the critical moment when an attacker successfully runs arbitrary code on a target system without physical access.