CVE-2021-22221 in GitLab
Summary
by MITRE • 06/09/2021
An issue has been discovered in GitLab affecting all versions starting from 12.9.0 before 13.10.5, all versions starting from 13.11.0 before 13.11.5, all versions starting from 13.12.0 before 13.12.2. Insufficient expired password validation in various operations allow user to maintain limited access after their password expired
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/11/2021
This vulnerability in GitLab represents a critical authentication bypass flaw that undermines the system's password expiration security controls. The issue affects multiple version ranges including 12.9.0 through 13.10.4, 13.11.0 through 13.11.4, and 13.12.0 through 13.12.1, creating a widespread impact across the GitLab ecosystem. The vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of expired passwords during various operational procedures, allowing authenticated users to maintain access privileges even after their credentials have been marked as expired. This represents a fundamental failure in the authentication lifecycle management within the GitLab platform.
The technical flaw manifests when users with expired passwords attempt to perform operations within GitLab, particularly those involving project management, code repository access, and collaborative features. The system fails to properly enforce password expiration checks during these operations, creating a window where users can continue to execute actions with reduced privileges while maintaining access to certain functionalities. This behavior violates standard security principles and creates potential attack vectors for malicious actors who might exploit this weakness to extend their unauthorized access periods. The vulnerability specifically relates to CWE-610 which addresses "Exposed External Control of Resource" and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078.101 covering "Valid Accounts: Default Accounts" and T1078.004 covering "Valid Accounts: Cloud Accounts" when such accounts are compromised through password expiration bypasses.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple access control violations, potentially enabling persistent threats and insider attacks. Attackers who gain initial access to a GitLab instance could leverage this vulnerability to maintain their presence even after password expiration policies should have terminated their access. This creates a significant risk for organizations that rely on GitLab for source code management, where unauthorized access could lead to code tampering, data exfiltration, or compromise of development environments. The vulnerability is particularly concerning in enterprise settings where strict access controls and audit trails are essential for compliance and security monitoring. Organizations may experience false negatives in their security monitoring systems as the expired access remains undetected, potentially masking other malicious activities. The persistence of access despite password expiration creates opportunities for extended reconnaissance and privilege escalation attempts.
Mitigation strategies should prioritize immediate patching of affected GitLab versions to the recommended secure releases including 13.10.5, 13.11.5, and 13.12.2. Organizations should implement additional monitoring controls to detect unusual access patterns and expired password usage within their GitLab instances. Security teams should conduct comprehensive audits of user access permissions and ensure that password expiration policies are properly enforced across all GitLab operations. Network segmentation and access controls should be reviewed to limit the potential impact of compromised accounts. Additionally, organizations should implement automated systems to track and notify users about password expiration events, while ensuring that the GitLab configuration properly enforces authentication policies. Regular security assessments of authentication mechanisms and privileged access controls should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other systems. The implementation of multi-factor authentication and just-in-time access provisioning can provide additional layers of protection against unauthorized access attempts that exploit password expiration bypasses.