Security Digest · Vulnerability record
CVE-2023-49569: Maliciously crafted Git server replies can lead to path traversal and RCE on go-git clients
A path traversal vulnerability was discovered in go-git versions prior to v5.11.
CVSS 9.8 Critical EPSS 1.5% · p74
Should you act?
Critical and remotely reachable
No known exploitation yet, but it is network-reachable without credentials. This signal is computed from CISA KEV, EPSS and CVSS data; it is not an editorial verdict.
- No confirmed exploitation. It is not in CISA’s KEV catalog and CISA’s SSVC assessment records no known exploitation. That can change quickly after a public write-up; re-check if you are affected.
- EPSS 1.5%, percentile 74: FIRST’s model estimates a 1.5% chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, higher than 74% of all scored CVEs (moderate). EPSS is a probability, not a verdict.
- Remotely reachable with no login and no user interaction. If the vulnerable service is exposed to the internet, prioritize it.
- Only applies if your dependency tree includes
github.com/go-git/go-git/v5(Go) >= 5.0.0, < 5.11.0, fixed in 5.11.0;gopkg.in/src-d/go-git.v4(Go) >= 4.0.0, <= 4.13.1, no fixed version listed. Check your lockfile, including transitive dependencies.
What it is
A path traversal vulnerability was discovered in go-git versions prior to v5.11. This vulnerability allows an attacker to create and amend files across the filesystem. In the worse case scenario, remote code execution could be achieved. Applications are only affected if they are using the ChrootOS https://pkg.go.dev/github.com/go-git/go-billy/v5/osfs#ChrootOS , which is the default when using "Plain" versions of Open and Clone funcs (e.g. PlainClone). Applications using BoundOS https://pkg.go.dev/github.com/go-git/go-billy/v5/osfs#BoundOS or in-memory filesystems are not affected by this issue. This is a go-git implementation issue and does not affect the upstream git cli.
From the GitHub advisory
Impact A path traversal vulnerability was discovered in go-git versions prior to v5.11. This vulnerability allows an attacker to create and amend files across the filesystem. In the worse case scenario, remote code execution could be achieved.
Applications are only affected if they are using the ChrootOS, which is the default when using "Plain" versions of Open and Clone funcs (e.g. PlainClone). Applications using BoundOS or in-memory filesystems are not affected by this issue. This is a go-git implementation issue and does not affect the upstream git cli.
Patches Users running versions of go-git from v4 and above are recommended to upgrade to v5.11 in order to mitigate this vulnerability.
Workarounds In cases where a bump to the latest version of go-git is not possible in a timely manner, we recommend limiting its use to only trust-worthy Git servers.
Credit Thanks to Ionut Lalu for responsibly disclosing this vulnerability to us.
Weakness type: CWE-22.
Product: github.com/go-git/go-git/v5 (Go) · Assigned by: Bitdefender · Published: 2024-01-12
Affected and fixed versions
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable | First fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Go | github.com/go-git/go-git/v5 | >= 5.0.0, < 5.11.0 | 5.11.0 |
| Go | gopkg.in/src-d/go-git.v4 | >= 4.0.0, <= 4.13.1 | none listed |
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions (per CVE record) |
|---|---|---|
| go-git | go-git | 5.11.0 |
Severity scores
| Scored by | CVSS | Score | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bitdefender | 3.1 | 9.8 Critical | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
| GitHub | 3.1 | 9.8 | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
- Attack vector: network (remotely reachable)
- Attack complexity: low
- Privileges required: none (no login)
- User interaction: none
- Scope: unchanged
CVSS measures how bad a flaw is if exploited, not how likely exploitation is. Read it next to the exploitation data below.
Exploitation and urgency
- CISA KEV: not listed (no confirmed in-the-wild exploitation known to CISA).
- CISA SSVC assessment: exploitation none, automatable yes, technical impact total.
- FIRST EPSS (model of 2026-10-21): 1.51% probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 74.
Timeline
- — GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-449p-3h89-pw88 published (critical)
- — CVE record published by Bitdefender
- — CVE record last updated
Sources and references
Original sources first. Version and fix details should always be confirmed against the vendor or project advisory.
Vulnerability records
- GitHub Advisory GHSA-449p-3h89-pw88 github.com
- CVE.org record CVE-2023-49569 cve.org
- NVD entry CVE-2023-49569 nvd.nist.gov
Other references from the CVE record and advisory
- github.com github.com