SubversionApplication · Apache

CVE-2024-45720

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-10-09

Fix available

A fix is available. Upgrade to 1.14.4 or later.

See remediation →

80/100

Remediation priority · High

Zero-click

Official description

NVD · unedited

On Windows platforms, a "best fit" character encoding conversion of command line arguments to Subversion's executables (e.g., svn.exe, etc.) may lead to unexpected command line argument interpretation, including argument injection and execution of other programs, if a specially crafted command line argument string is processed. All versions of Subversion up to and including Subversion 1.14.3 are affected on Windows platforms only. Users are recommended to upgrade to version Subversion 1.14.4, which fixes this issue. Subversion is not affected on UNIX-like platforms.

Technical summary

dbcve analysis · high confidence

On Windows platforms, Subversion's executables (svn.exe, etc.) process command line arguments through Windows' 'best fit' character encoding conversion. This conversion can transform specially crafted argument strings into unexpected arguments, enabling argument injection that may lead to execution of arbitrary programs.

MitigationUpgrade to Subversion 1.14.4 or later on all affected Windows systems. UNIX-like platforms are not affected by this vulnerability.

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

Affected products & versions

NVD · CPE data

SubversionApplication

Affected:< 1.14.4

CVSS breakdown

From the vector

Attack vector: Local
Complexity: Low
Privileges: Low
User interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: High
Integrity: High
Availability: High

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

Am I affected?

dbcve checks

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

Confirm Subversion is installed on Windows

Open Command Prompt or PowerShell and run 'where svn.exe' or check common installation directories such as C:\Program Files\Subversion\bin\svn.exe or C:\Program Files (x86)\Subversion\bin\svn.exe

Affected if svn.exe exists on the system - Subversion is installed
Retrieve the installed Subversion version

Run 'svn.exe --version' or 'svn --version' in Command Prompt/PowerShell and note the version number in the output

Affected if A version number is returned - Subversion is present and version can be assessed
Compare installed version against affected range

Take the version number from step 2 and compare it to 1.14.4. Any version less than 1.14.4 (such as 1.14.3, 1.14.2, 1.14.1, 1.14.0, or earlier) is within the affected range

Affected if The installed version is less than 1.14.4 - the system is vulnerable to argument injection through Windows best fit encoding

A user is affected if Subversion (svn.exe) is installed on a Windows system and the installed version is lower than 1.14.4.

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

Remediation

dbcve · scoped

Upgrade available Upgrade to 1.14.4 or later

Fixed in 1.14.4

Interim mitigation

Upgrade to Subversion 1.14.4 or later on all affected Windows systems. UNIX-like platforms are not affected by this vulnerability.

Recommended fix High confidence

Subversion 1.14.4

1. Download Subversion 1.14.4 (or later) from the official Apache Subversion website (subversion.apache.org/packages.html)
2. Stop any running Subversion processes (svnserve, svnadmin, or any tools using the svn executable)
3. Back up your current Subversion installation directory and any repositories
4. Install Subversion 1.14.4 using the downloaded installer for Windows
5. Verify the upgrade was successful by running 'svn --version' in command prompt
6. Ensure the version output shows 1.14.4 or later
7. Restart any Subversion services or scripts that rely on the svn command-line tools

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

Fix this in Subversion Scoped from the published advisory

Consultation3.0 h
Implementation3.0 h
Testing2.0 h
Review / QA2.0 h

10.0 hours of engineering $1,800

Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,880.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally

dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-45720 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

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References

Primary sources

subversion.apache.orgVendor Advisory
www.openwall.comMailing List
nvd.nist.govNVD record

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2024-45720 in production — separate from our analysis above.

Notes0 Guidelines

Know something about CVE-2024-45720?

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

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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

At a glance

A fix existsUpgrade to 1.14.4 or later

Severity 7.8 High

Exploit likelihood EPSS, next 30 days 0.6%

Affects: Subversion

Remediation

A high-priority fix

Fix this in Subversion 10 hrs · Moderate

Typical engagement from $1,800

Get a fix See the full breakdown ↓

A high-priority vulnerability. Send your environment and a specialist will scope CVE-2024-45720 and return a fixed quote and timeline.

You’ll deal with our team directly and deploy the reviewed fix to staging first — never straight to production.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Check your environment

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.

Scan for this in your stack

References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Practitioner notes

No notes yet

Official description

Technical summary

Affected products & versions

CVSS breakdown

Am I affected?

Remediation

References