VulnerabilityPublished 4 Oct 2026Updated 26 Oct 2026

CVE-2026-100689: Legit · GitPython submodule update path traversal can write outside the repository

Affects legitSource GCVE Database

Authoritative record:CVE-2026-100689· High 8.7

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

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 19:42 UTC

CVSS 4.0 base score

8.7High

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

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 26 Sep 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: 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 26 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.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, 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 patch is available in GitPython version 1.2.0.post0_16 that applies the containment guard to the 'path' field in submodule update operations, preventing directory traversal. Users should upgrade to this fixed version. The vendor's existing containment guard function (_to_relative_path) should be applied wherever the 'path' is consumed. Additionally, validating and rejecting .gitmodules entries with absolute or '..' components in the 'path' field at the time of reading is recommended to prevent future regressions. No other mitigation is required as the vulnerability is not exploitable in typical clone workflows.

Description

CVE-2026-100689 is a path traversal vulnerability in GitPython 3.1.61 and main branch affecting the submodule update process. The vulnerability arises because the 'path' field from .gitmodules is used without proper containment validation, allowing an attacker to specify a path outside the repository directory. This can lead to directory creation and population outside the intended repository location. However, typical clone workflows are not affected because Git itself prevents checkout of .gitmodules entries with '..' components. Exploitation requires use of non-HEAD commits and custom submodule update calls. A fix is available in GitPython version 1.2.0.post0_16 that applies the existing containment guard to the 'path' field.

Impact

An attacker able to supply a malicious .gitmodules file with a crafted 'path' value can cause GitPython to create and populate directories outside the repository working tree during submodule update operations. This may lead to unauthorized file system modifications outside the intended repository scope. The impact is limited by the fact that normal clone operations are not affected, and exploitation requires use of non-HEAD commits and specific API usage. There are no known exploits in the wild. The CVSS 4.0 score is 6.1 (medium severity) reflecting network attack vector, high attack complexity, and partial impact on confidentiality and integrity.

Summary

GitPython's submodule update functionality validates the 'name' field from .gitmodules to prevent directory traversal but does not apply the same containment guard to the 'path' field. The 'path' is read raw and used to derive an absolute path where submodules are checked out or removed. An attacker-controlled .gitmodules file with a crafted 'path' containing directory traversal sequences (e.g., '../../../tmp/escaped') can cause directories to be created and populated outside the repository working tree. The vulnerability is mitigated in common clone scenarios because Git refuses to check out trees with such paths, but it remains exploitable when updating submodules at non-HEAD commits via API calls that do not re-derive the path safely. The recommended fix is to apply the existing _to_relative_path containment guard to the 'path' field wherever it is consumed, ensuring paths cannot escape the repository root. This fix is implemented in GitPython 1.2.0.post0_16.

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Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 26 Oct 2026, 19:42 UTC

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