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Libgit2Application

CVE-2024-24577

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-02-06
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 1.6.5 / 1.7.2 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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 · unedited
libgit2 is a portable C implementation of the Git core methods provided as a linkable library with a solid API, allowing to build Git functionality into your application. Using well-crafted inputs to `git_index_add` can cause heap corruption that could be leveraged for arbitrary code execution. There is an issue in the `has_dir_name` function in `src/libgit2/index.c`, which frees an entry that should not be freed. The freed entry is later used and overwritten with potentially bad actor-controlled data leading to controlled heap corruption. Depending on the application that uses libgit2, this could lead to arbitrary code execution. This issue has been patched in version 1.6.5 and 1.7.2.

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 analysis · high confidence

Heap corruption vulnerability in libgit2's `has_dir_name` function in index.c. When processing specially crafted inputs via `git_index_add`, the function incorrectly frees an index entry that is still in use. The freed entry is later overwritten with attacker-controlled data, leading to controlled heap corruption suitable for arbitrary code execution.

MitigationUpgrade libgit2 to version 1.6.5 or 1.7.2 or later. If immediate upgrading is infeasible, validate and sanitize all inputs to `git_index_add` before processing.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

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
Libgit2Application
Affected:< 1.6.5>= 1.7.0, < 1.7.2

CVSS 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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify installed libgit2 version
    Run `git --version` and check library version via `pkg-config --modversion libgit2` or inspect the shared library file (e.g., libgit2.so) for its embedded version. If using a language binding, check the binding's reported libgit2 version.
    Affected if The installed version is less than 1.6.5, or greater than or equal to 1.7.0 but less than 1.7.2.
  2. Determine if code uses git_index_add or index operations
    Search source code for calls to `git_index_add`, `git_index_add_bypath`, `git_index_write`, or other index manipulation functions from the libgit2 API.
    Affected if The application calls any libgit2 index functions to add or manipulate entries in a git index.
  3. Check if processing untrusted or user-supplied index data
    Review whether the application passes data from untrusted sources (such as user-uploaded repositories, cloned external repos, or index files from unknown origins) to `git_index_add` or related functions.
    Affected if The application processes index data from untrusted or external sources without prior validation.
  4. Inspect for custom index file handling
    If the application manually constructs or parses index files, examine whether it directly manipulates index entry structures that could trigger the `has_dir_name` code path.
    Affected if Custom index handling code exists that interacts with directory name entries in the index.

A user is affected if their installed libgit2 version falls within the vulnerable ranges AND their application uses libgit2 index functions to process data, particularly from untrusted sources.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 1.6.5 / 1.7.2 or later
Fixed in 1.6.51.7.2
Interim mitigation

Upgrade libgit2 to version 1.6.5 or 1.7.2 or later. If immediate upgrading is infeasible, validate and sanitize all inputs to `git_index_add` before processing.

Recommended fix High confidence

libgit2 1.6.5 (for 1.6.x users) or libgit2 1.7.2 (for 1.7.x users)

  1. Check current libgit2 version using `git --version` or by examining your project's dependency lock file
  2. For systems using libgit2 as a system package: update via package manager (e.g., apt-get update && apt-get upgrade libgit2-dev, yum update libgit2, or dnf update libgit2)
  3. For projects depending on libgit2: update the version in your dependency manager (conan, vcpkg, pkg-config, or language-specific package manager) to 1.6.5 or 1.7.2
  4. Rebuild and recompile any applications that link against libgit2
  5. Verify the new version is loaded: check git --exec-path or use ldd on the git binary to confirm libgit2 version
  6. Test that git operations (particularly index operations) function correctly after upgrade
Caveat Security patch with minimal API changes; verify any custom git integration works post-upgrade

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Libgit2 Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,680
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2024-24577 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data