diff --git a/CHANGELOG b/CHANGELOG
index 657c6f4833..3ae881da36 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG
+++ b/CHANGELOG
@@ -50,6 +50,7 @@ v 8.9.0 (unreleased)
   - An indicator is now displayed at the top of the comment field for confidential issues.
   - RepositoryCheck::SingleRepositoryWorker public and private methods are now instrumented
   - Improve issuables APIs performance when accessing notes !4471
+  - External links now open in a new tab
 
 v 8.8.4 (unreleased)
   - Ensure branch cleanup regardless of whether the GitHub import process succeeds
diff --git a/lib/banzai/filter/external_link_filter.rb b/lib/banzai/filter/external_link_filter.rb
index 38c4219518..f73ecfc941 100644
--- a/lib/banzai/filter/external_link_filter.rb
+++ b/lib/banzai/filter/external_link_filter.rb
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ module Banzai
           next if link.start_with?(internal_url)
 
           node.set_attribute('rel', 'nofollow noreferrer')
+          node.set_attribute('target', '_blank')
         end
 
         doc
diff --git a/spec/features/markdown_spec.rb b/spec/features/markdown_spec.rb
index 7663d19335..1193cae5a2 100644
--- a/spec/features/markdown_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/features/markdown_spec.rb
@@ -165,17 +165,27 @@ describe 'GitLab Markdown', feature: true do
     describe 'ExternalLinkFilter' do
       it 'adds nofollow to external link' do
         link = doc.at_css('a:contains("Google")')
+
         expect(link.attr('rel')).to include('nofollow')
       end
 
       it 'adds noreferrer to external link' do
         link = doc.at_css('a:contains("Google")')
+
         expect(link.attr('rel')).to include('noreferrer')
       end
 
+      it 'adds _blank to target attribute for external links' do
+        link = doc.at_css('a:contains("Google")')
+
+        expect(link.attr('target')).to match('_blank')
+      end
+
       it 'ignores internal link' do
         link = doc.at_css('a:contains("GitLab Root")')
+
         expect(link.attr('rel')).not_to match 'nofollow'
+        expect(link.attr('target')).not_to match '_blank'
       end
     end
   end
diff --git a/spec/fixtures/markdown.md.erb b/spec/fixtures/markdown.md.erb
index 34ce7c4f03..c75d28d980 100644
--- a/spec/fixtures/markdown.md.erb
+++ b/spec/fixtures/markdown.md.erb
@@ -136,7 +136,7 @@ But it shouldn't autolink text inside certain tags:
 
 ### ExternalLinkFilter
 
-External links get a `rel="nofollow"` attribute:
+External links get a `rel="nofollow noreferrer"` and `target="_blank"` attributes:
 
 - [Google](https://google.com/)
 - [GitLab Root](<%= Gitlab.config.gitlab.url %>)