# CVE-2021-39899: Security feature bypass in GitLab

> An attacker with physical access can bypass password change rate limits by stealing session IDs to brute force user passwords.

- **Severity:** Low 2.9 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 4 Oct 2021
- **Updated:** 4 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** BIT-gitlab-2021-39899, GHSA-f3cp-f6ph-xxhj, UBUNTU-CVE-2021-39899

## What is CVE-2021-39899?

CVE-2021-39899 is a low-severity vulnerability in Gitlab Gitlab, published on 4 Oct 2021. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

In all versions of GitLab CE/EE, an attacker with physical access to a user’s machine may brute force the user’s password via the change password function. There is a rate limit in place, but the attack may still be conducted by stealing the session id from the physical compromise of the account and splitting the attack over several IP addresses and passing in the compromised session value from these various locations.

Weakness: CWE-640 (Weak Password Recovery Mechanism for Forgotten Password)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2021-39899?

1 open source package ship an affected version, including gitlab. It affects 1 product.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `gitlab` | Bitnami | From 1.0.0 | 14.1.7, 14.2.5, 14.3.1 |

Products: Gitlab Gitlab.

## How do I fix CVE-2021-39899?

Upgrade gitlab to a fixed version for your release line: 14.1.7, 14.2.5 or 14.3.1.

## Is CVE-2021-39899 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-39899 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Gitlab Gitlab

- [CVE-2026-97229](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-97229/): GitLab Community Edition and Enterprise Edition Integer Overflow or Wraparound (critical 10.0, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-85706](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-85706/): GitLab Community Edition and Enterprise Edition Path Traversal (critical 10.0, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2023-7028](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-7028/): GitLab Community and Enterprise Editions Improper Access Control (critical 10.0, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2021-22205](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-22205/): GitLab Community and Enterprise Editions Remote Code Execution (critical 10.0, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2021-39935](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-39935/): GitLab Community and Enterprise Editions Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) (medium 6.8, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2021-39899 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2021-39899 is a low-severity vulnerability in Gitlab Gitlab, published on 4 Oct 2021. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-39899 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected packages and fixed versions:
- gitlab (Bitnami): affected from 1.0.0; fixed in 14.1.7, 14.2.5, 14.3.1

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-39899/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-39899/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-39899
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-39899
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2021-39899

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-39899/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.