CVE-2021-39874Public exploitNetwork attack vector

Repository read and write via unenforced 2FA

Published Oct 4, 2021 · Updated Aug 4, 2024

Improper authorization in affected GitLab CE/EE releases starting at 11.0 allows remote authenticated users to read and write repositories via Git. Git-over-HTTPS password authentication accepts group members who have not enrolled in mandatory 2FA, while web access redirects them to 2FA setup. A valid account with repository access and a group configured for immediate 2FA enforcement is required; clone and push operations expose or modify code.

CVSS severity4.3
Medium
EPSS probability1.05%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Improper authorization in affected GitLab CE/EE releases starting at 11.0 allows remote authenticated users to read and write repositories via Git. Git-over-HTTPS password authentication accepts group members who have not enrolled in mandatory 2FA, while web access redirects them to 2FA setup. A valid account with repository access and a group configured for immediate 2FA enforcement is required; clone and push operations expose or modify code.

The record

CVE
CVE-2021-39874
Published
Oct 4, 2021
Updated
Aug 4, 2024
Vendor
GitLab
Product
GitLab
Classifications
T1078
Attack vector
network
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Oct 4, 2021CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Aug 4, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.

Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=>=11.0, <14.1.7
  2. Affected versionversion=>=14.2, <14.2.5
  3. Affected versionversion=>=14.3, <14.3.1

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectornetwork
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

GitLab · GitLabversion=>=11.0, <14.1.7; version=>=14.2, <14.2.5; version=>=14.3, <14.3.1

Published CVSS scores

4.0NIST NVDAV:N/AC:L/Au:S/C:N/I:P/A:N
4.3GitLab Inc.CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 9, 2026Sep 15, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 15, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectornetwork
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitPublished

Weakness, pattern, technique

T1078Valid Accounts

Public exploit references

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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