Legit: GitPython parse_actor_and_date() is vulnerable to quadratic backtracking on malformed identity lines
Affects legitSource GCVE Database
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
- EPSS
- 0.3% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 27% 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:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:NExploitation 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.
What to do
Upgrade legit to 1.2.0.post0_16.
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
Homebrewlegitpkg:brew/legitOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in
|
Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.
AI-suggested
A patch is available in GitPython version 1.2.0.post0_16 that fixes the regex to prevent quadratic backtracking. Users should upgrade to this version or later to mitigate the vulnerability. No additional mitigation is required if the patch is applied.
Description
A regular expression in GitPython's parse_actor_and_date function causes quadratic backtracking on malformed author/committer/tagger lines missing or having malformed trailing epoch or timezone data. This results in CPU exhaustion when parsing crafted commit or tag objects. The issue affects GitPython versions from 0.1.0 up to but excluding 1.2.0.post0_16. A fix is available in version 1.2.0.post0_16 that changes the regex to prevent backtracking.
References
- github.com/gitpython-developers/GitPython/security/advisories/GHSA-m64x-33q8-m5h7 (opens in a new tab)
- github.com/gitpython-developers/GitPython/pull/2253 (opens in a new tab)
- github.com/gitpython-developers/GitPython/commit/8290c98d35465a38090cdcc1b17be69967092a15 (opens in a new tab)
- github.com/gitpython-developers/GitPython (opens in a new tab)
- github.com/gitpython-developers/GitPython/releases/tag/3.2.0 (opens in a new tab)