GitApplication · Git Scm
CVE-2023-22490
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedGit is a revision control system. Using a specially-crafted repository, Git prior to versions 2.39.2, 2.38.4, 2.37.6, 2.36.5, 2.35.7, 2.34.7, 2.33.7, 2.32.6, 2.31.7, and 2.30.8 can be tricked into using its local clone optimization even when using a non-local transport. Though Git will abort local clones whose source `$GIT_DIR/objects` directory contains symbolic links, the `objects` directory itself may still be a symbolic link. These two may be combined to include arbitrary files based on known paths on the victim's filesystem within the malicious repository's working copy, allowing for data exfiltration in a similar manner as CVE-2022-39253. A fix has been prepared and will appear in v2.39.2 v2.38.4 v2.37.6 v2.36.5 v2.35.7 v2.34.7 v2.33.7 v2.32.6, v2.31.7 and v2.30.8. If upgrading is impractical, two short-term workarounds are available. Avoid cloning repositories from untrusted sources with `--recurse-submodules`. Instead, consider cloning repositories without recursively cloning their submodules, and instead run `git submodule update` at each layer. Before doing so, inspect each new `.gitmodules` file to ensure that it does not contain suspicious module URLs.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysisA file operation follows a symbolic link without checking where it actually points, so an attacker who can plant or swap a link redirects the operation to a file they should not be able to touch. It is a common local privilege-escalation primitive. Remediation is resolving and validating the real target path, and avoiding operations on attacker-controllable links.
General guidance for the link following (symlink) class — the official description and references above are authoritative for this specific CVE. Want a bespoke review and a reviewed fix? Ask our team →
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data
GitApplication
< 2.30.8>= 2.31.0, < 2.31.7>= 2.32.0, < 2.32.6>= 2.33.0, < 2.33.7>= 2.34.0, < 2.34.7>= 2.35.0, < 2.35.7>= 2.36.0, < 2.36.5>= 2.37.0, < 2.37.6>= 2.38.0, < 2.38.4>= 2.39.0, < 2.39.2CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
dbcve · scoped2.30.82.31.72.32.6
Git 2.30.8, 2.31.7, 2.32.6, or 2.33.7 (depending on which version branch you are on); or any version >= 2.34.7, 2.35.7, 2.36.5, 2.37.6, 2.38.4, or 2.39.2
- 1. Identify the currently installed Git version using `git --version`
- 2. Determine which version branch your current Git belongs to based on the affected version ranges
- 3. Upgrade to the appropriate fixed version for your branch: if using 2.30.x, upgrade to 2.30.8; if using 2.31.x, upgrade to 2.31.7; if using 2.32.x, upgrade to 2.32.6; if using 2.33.x, upgrade to 2.33.7
- 4. On Linux systems, use the package manager (e.g., `apt-get update && apt-get install git` for Debian/Ubuntu, or `yum update git` for RHEL/CentOS)
- 5. On macOS, use Homebrew (`brew upgrade git`) or download from https://git-scm.com
- 6. On Windows, download the installer from https://git-scm.com or use `winget upgrade Git.Git`
- 7. Verify the upgrade was successful by running `git --version` and confirming the fixed version is installed
- 8. As an additional precaution when cloning untrusted repositories, avoid using `--recurse-submodules` and instead manually inspect `.gitmodules` files before running `git submodule update`
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-22490 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-22490 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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