Is CVE-2021-22205 actively exploited?

Yes. KEV Intelligence tracks CVE-2021-22205 as a known exploited vulnerability. Confidence is confirmed.

What exploitation activity has KEV Intelligence observed?

KEV Intelligence has not yet recorded sensor-observed exploitation attempts for CVE-2021-22205. Our sensors continue to monitor for activity targeting this CVE.

Which versions are affected?

CVE-2021-22205 affects GitLab GitLab. Reported affected versions include >=11.9, =13.9, =13.10, <13.10.3.

Yes. CVE-2021-22205 is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.

Vulnerability report

Exploited in the wild Confirmed confidence In CISA KEV

CVE-2021-22205

Q: What is CVE-2021-22205?

CVE-2021-22205 is an unauthenticated vulnerability affecting GitLab GitLab. 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.

Q: How should organizations remediate it?

Prioritize remediation. Validate affected assets and apply vendor fixes on an accelerated timeline.

Q: Is it in CISA KEV?

Yes. CVE-2021-22205 is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.

GitLab

GitLab / GitLab · >=11.9, <13.8.8

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Severity: CVSS 10.0 · Critical
Confidence: Confirmed
Exploit status: Exploited in the wild
EPSS: 99.7%
First observed: —
Last observed: —

Decision summary

What security teams need to know first

Direct answers before the deeper technical record.

What it is

CVE-2021-22205 is an unauthenticated vulnerability affecting GitLab GitLab. An issue has been discovered in GitLab CE/EE affecting all versions starting from 11.9. GitLab was not properly validating image files that...

Is it exploited?

Yes. KEV Intelligence tracks this CVE as a known exploited vulnerability. Confidence is confirmed.

Who is affected?

GitLab / GitLab >=11.9, <13.8.8.

What should we do?

Prioritize remediation. Validate affected assets and apply vendor fixes on an accelerated timeline.

Overview

An issue has been discovered in GitLab CE/EE affecting all versions starting from 11.9

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.

Vendor Product Affected Status

GitLab GitLab >=11.9, <13.8.8 Affected

GitLab GitLab >=13.9, <13.9.6 Affected

GitLab GitLab >=13.10, <13.10.3 Affected

Published: 23 Apr 2021
Exploitation Reported: 03 Nov 2021
Attack vector: Remote
Complexity: Low
Privileges: None
User interaction: None

CVE References

CVE Record CVE.org · CVE Record https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-22205
hackerone.com/reports/1154542 hackerone.com · CVE Record https://hackerone.com/reports/1154542
gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/327121 gitlab.com · CVE Record https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/327121
gitlab.com/gitlab-org/cves/-/blob/master/2021/CVE-2021-... gitlab.com · CVE Record https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/cves/-/blob/master/2021/CVE-2021-22205....
packetstormsecurity.com/files/164768/GitLab-Unauthenticated-Remote-E... packetstormsecurity.com · CVE Record http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/164768/GitLab-Unauthenticated-Re...
packetstormsecurity.com/files/164994/GitLab-13.10.2-Remote-Code-Exec... packetstormsecurity.com · CVE Record http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/164994/GitLab-13.10.2-Remote-Cod...

Exploitation evidence

Why KEV Intelligence marks this CVE as exploited

Third-party attestation and first-party sensor observation are shown separately so teams can judge the evidence chain.

Exploited in the wild

CISA

Recorded 03 Nov 2021

Independent exploitation attestation added to the KEV Intelligence record.

Used in malware

CISA

Recorded 02 Jun 2026

Malware families have been linked to exploitation of this CVE.

Proof of concept available

GitHub

Recorded 05 Jun 2021

Public scanner or PoC coverage increases practical exploitability.

Known exploited vulnerability sources

Per-source evidence links for KEV attestations are available through the KEV Intelligence Pro API.

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Source	Added
CISA First	2021-11-03 00:00 UTC
The Shadowserver	2026-07-13 00:00 UTC
CVE	2026-08-01 04:50 UTC

Detection

Operational artifacts and observed signals

Make the evidence actionable in scanner, SOC, and edge-control workflows.

Observed signals

Request targets: 0
User-Agents: 0

Raw values available in Pro and Enterprise.

Scanner coverage

Metasploit template detected 28 Apr 2025.

View Metasploit template

Virtual patch status

No KEV Intelligence virtual patch is currently available. Future rules ship for ModSecurity, Cloudflare, and AWS WAF.

Learn about virtual patches →

Scanner Artifacts

Scanner and exploit-framework references linked to this CVE.

Scanner	Reference	Detected
Metasploit	https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/blob/master/modules/exploits/multi/http/gitlab_exif_rce.rb	28 Apr 2025
Nuclei	https://github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei-templates/blob/main/http/cves/2021/CVE-2021-22205.yaml	25 Apr 2025

Risk and context

Severity, weaknesses, and research context

CVSS v3.1

10.0 Critical

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

EPSS

99.7%

Weaknesses

Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection') CWE-94

All CVSS Scores

CVSS v3.1 10.0 Critical

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

CVSS v2.0 7.5 High

AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P

Potential Proof of Concepts

These PoCs are unverified and could contain malware. Use at your own risk.

inspiringz/CVE-2021-22205

github · Created 2021-11-11 04:34:07 UTC · 224 stars · AI assessment 90%

GitLab CE/EE Preauth RCE using ExifTool

whwlsfb/CVE-2021-22205

github · Created 2021-10-30 02:56:34 UTC · 22 stars · AI assessment 90%

CVE-2021-22205 Gitlab 未授权远程代码执行漏洞 EXP, 移除了对djvumake & djvulibre的依赖，可在win平台使用

Al1ex/CVE-2021-22205

github · Created 2021-10-29 04:30:45 UTC · 273 stars · AI assessment 90%

CVE-2021-22205& GitLab CE/EE RCE

r0eXpeR/CVE-2021-22205

github · Created 2021-10-28 14:02:51 UTC · 68 stars · AI assessment 90%

CVE-2021-22205 Unauthorized RCE

XTeam-Wing/CVE-2021-22205

github · Created 2021-10-28 06:29:37 UTC · 86 stars · AI assessment 90%

Pocsuite3 For CVE-2021-22205

mr-r3bot/Gitlab-CVE-2021-22205

github · Created 2021-06-05 15:42:16 UTC · 182 stars · AI assessment 90%

GitLab CE/EE - Remote Code Execution

nuclei · Created Unknown

Timeline

From disclosure to observed exploitation

01 Aug 2026
KEV confirmed by CVE

Exploitation attested by an external source
13 Jul 2026
KEV confirmed by The Shadowserver

Exploitation attested by an external source
02 Jun 2026
First public exploitation report

Exploit observed in malware
28 Apr 2025
Metasploit module available

Exploit module available
25 Apr 2025
Nuclei template available

Scanner coverage available
03 Nov 2021
Added to CISA KEV

Listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog
05 Jun 2021
Public PoC available

Public proof-of-concept code published
23 Apr 2021
CVE published

Vulnerability disclosed publicly
05 Jan 2021
CVE ID reserved

Identifier reserved by the CNA

Pro API

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Evidence confidence and provenance
First-party sensor telemetry
PoC and scanner references
Affected versions and enrichment
Automation-ready JSON delivery

GET /api/v2/pro/kevs/CVE-2021-22205

Free JSON includes basic KEV fields

{
  "cve_id": "CVE-2021-22205",
  "confidence": "Confirmed",
  "cvss_score": 10.0,
  "cvss_estimated": false,
  "epss_score": 0.99731,
  "exploit_status": {
    "exploited_in_the_wild": true,
    "active_exploitation_observed": false
  },
  "sensor_telemetry": { "attempts": 0, "sensors": 0 }
}

Early warning alerts

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CVE-2021-22205

An issue has been discovered in GitLab CE/EE affecting all versions starting from 11.9

Tags

CVE References

Exploited in the wild

Used in malware

Proof of concept available

Known exploited vulnerability sources

Observed signals

Scanner coverage

Virtual patch status

Scanner Artifacts

Weaknesses

All CVSS Scores

Potential Proof of Concepts

KEV confirmed by CVE

KEV confirmed by The Shadowserver

First public exploitation report

Metasploit module available

Nuclei template available

Added to CISA KEV

Public PoC available

CVE published

CVE ID reserved

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