CVE-2026-110859VulnerabilityPublished 29 Oct 2026

legit · GitPython: arbitrary file read via attacker-controlled branch name in `Head.checkout()` (incomplete fix of

Affects legitSource GCVE Database

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Authoritative record:CVE-2026-110859· High 8.7

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 8.7 High : upgrade to 1.2.0.post0_16 soon.

Data as of 30 Oct 2026, 06:59 UTC

CVSS 4.0 base score

8.7High

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 0.3% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 32% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in 1.2.0.post0_16

CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Attack Requirements: None
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Vulnerable system confidentiality: High
Vulnerable system integrity: None
Vulnerable system availability: None
Subsequent system confidentiality: None
Subsequent system integrity: None
Subsequent system availability: None

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Network: The vulnerable system is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed below, up to and including the entire Internet. Such a vulnerability is often termed “remotely exploitable” and can be thought of as an attack being exploitable at the protocol level one or more network hops away (e.g., across one or more routers).
Attack Complexity: Low: The attacker must take no measurable action to exploit the vulnerability. The attack requires no target-specific circumvention to exploit the vulnerability. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable system.
Attack Requirements: None: The successful attack does not depend on the deployment and execution conditions of the vulnerable system. The attacker can expect to be able to reach the vulnerability and execute the exploit under all or most instances of the vulnerability.
Privileges Required: None: The attacker is unauthorized prior to attack, and therefore does not require any access to settings or files of the vulnerable system to carry out an attack.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without interaction from any human user, other than the attacker.
Vulnerable system confidentiality: High: There is a total loss of confidentiality, resulting in all information within the Vulnerable System being divulged to the attacker. Alternatively, access to only some restricted information is obtained, but the disclosed information presents a direct, serious impact. For example, an attacker steals the administrator's password, or private encryption keys of a web server.
Vulnerable system integrity: None: There is no loss of integrity within the Vulnerable System.
Vulnerable system availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the Vulnerable System.
Subsequent system confidentiality: None: There is no loss of confidentiality within the Subsequent System or all confidentiality impact is constrained to the Vulnerable System.
Subsequent system integrity: None: There is no loss of integrity within the Subsequent System or all integrity impact is constrained to the Vulnerable System.
Subsequent system availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the Subsequent System or all availability impact is constrained to the Vulnerable System.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v4.0 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 14 Oct 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponized: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 29 Oct 2026.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponized: A Metasploit exploit module or Exploit-DB entry exists (Metasploit scanner modules do not count), or CISA SSVC or the CVSS exploit maturity reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Upgrade legit to 1.2.0.post0_16.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
Homebrewlegit`pkg:brew/legit`Other threats	Affected >=0.1.0 <1.2.0.post0_16	Fixed in 1.2.0.post0_16

Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.

AI-suggested

A fix is available in GitPython version 1.2.0.post0_16 and later. Users should upgrade to this version or newer to remediate the vulnerability. The vendor advisory confirms the patch status. Until upgraded, avoid cloning repositories from untrusted sources or avoid calling Head.checkout() on branches from untrusted repositories.

Description

GitPython versions up to 3.1.62 contain a vulnerability in the Head.checkout() method where an attacker-controlled branch name can be used to inject arbitrary file read commands. This occurs because the branch name positional argument is not properly sanitized before being passed to the underlying git checkout command, allowing an attacker to read sensitive files such as /etc/passwd. The issue arises from an incomplete fix of previous advisories, where only keyword arguments were guarded but not positional arguments. The vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 score of 7.5 (High).

Impact

An unauthenticated attacker who can cause the application to clone a repository they control can exploit this vulnerability to read arbitrary files on the system where the application runs. The file contents are returned in the exception output, potentially exposing sensitive information such as system passwords. No privileges or credentials are required beyond the ability to supply a malicious repository URL. This poses a high risk to confidentiality.

Summary

The vulnerability in GitPython's Head.checkout() method allows an attacker who can control the repository URL to craft a repository with a default branch name containing malicious git command options (e.g., --pathspec-from-file=/etc/passwd). When the application clones this repository and checks out the default branch, the unsanitized branch name is passed as a positional argument to git checkout without a '--' separator, leading to arbitrary file reads. This flaw is due to an incomplete fix where keyword arguments were protected but positional arguments were not. The issue affects all published GitPython releases up to and including 3.1.62 and the main branch at commit 4905b4af. The vulnerability is rated high severity with a CVSS 3.1 score of 7.5 and is identified as CWE-88, CWE-73, and CWE-200.

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Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 30 Oct 2026, 06:29 UTC

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