CVE-2022-2251

Deeper analysis

CVE-2022-2251 is an improper sanitization flaw affecting branch names in GitLab Runner, impacting all versions prior to 15.3.5, 15.4.x prior to 15.4.4, and 15.5.x prior to 15.5.2. The issue stems from inadequate handling of specially crafted branch names, classified under CWE-78, and carries a CVSS 3.1 score of 4.8.

An attacker who can create a branch with a malicious name and then induce another user to trigger a pipeline can cause the runner to execute arbitrary commands under the privileges of that second user. The attack requires the victim to interact with the pipeline and is constrained by the need for network access and specific user actions.

Official GitLab advisories and the associated CVE record direct users to upgrade to the fixed releases listed above; the patches address the sanitization gap in the runner's branch-name processing logic.

EPSS for the vulnerability rose from a low baseline to a peak of 0.1551 on 2025-12-11 before receding to the current value of 0.0220, indicating that exploitation interest increased after public disclosure.