dbcve.org
Go GhApplication · Cli

CVE-2024-53859

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-11-27
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 2.11.1 or later.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
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
go-gh is a Go module for interacting with the `gh` utility and the GitHub API from the command line. A security vulnerability has been identified in `go-gh` that could leak authentication tokens intended for GitHub hosts to non-GitHub hosts when within a codespace. `go-gh` sources authentication tokens from different environment variables depending on the host involved: 1. `GITHUB_TOKEN`, `GH_TOKEN` for GitHub.com and ghe.com and 2. `GITHUB_ENTERPRISE_TOKEN`, `GH_ENTERPRISE_TOKEN` for GitHub Enterprise Server. Prior to version `2.11.1`, `auth.TokenForHost` could source a token from the `GITHUB_TOKEN` environment variable for a host other than GitHub.com or ghe.com when within a codespace. In version `2.11.1`, `auth.TokenForHost` will only source a token from the `GITHUB_TOKEN` environment variable for GitHub.com or ghe.com hosts. Successful exploitation could send authentication token to an unintended host. This issue has been addressed in version 2.11.1 and all users are advised to upgrade. Users are also advised to regenerate authentication tokens and to review their personal security log and any relevant audit logs for actions associated with their account or enterprise.

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

The go-gh library's `auth.TokenForHost` function incorrectly sourced the `GITHUB_TOKEN` environment variable for non-GitHub hosts (other than github.com or ghe.com) when running within a codespace, causing authentication tokens to be leaked to unintended hosts.

MitigationUpgrade go-gh to version 2.11.1 or later to restrict `GITHUB_TOKEN` to only github.com and ghe.com hosts, then regenerate any exposed tokens and review audit logs.

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
Go GhApplication
Affected:< 2.11.1

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
None
Availability
None

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

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. Check if gh CLI is installed
    Run `gh --version` or `which gh` to see if the GitHub CLI tool is present on the system
    Affected if gh CLI is not installed - not affected in this manner
  2. Check the installed gh CLI version
    Run `gh --version` and compare the version number to the affected range (versions prior to 2.11.1)
    Affected if The version displayed is less than 2.11.1 (for example, 2.10.0, 2.0.0, etc.) - the token leak vulnerability is present
  3. Verify if running within a codespace
    Check for codespace environment indicators such as the CODESPACES environment variable (`echo $CODESPACES`) or look for `/workspaces/.codespaces` directory
    Affected if Running inside a codespace AND gh CLI version is below 2.11.1 - the conditions for token leakage exist
  4. Check if GITHUB_TOKEN environment variable is set
    Run `echo $GITHUB_TOKEN` (note: be careful not to echo this visibly if it is set) or check with `env | grep GITHUB_TOKEN`
    Affected if GITHUB_TOKEN environment variable is set AND gh CLI version is below 2.11.1 while in a codespace - tokens could be leaked to non-GitHub hosts

A user is affected if they are running gh CLI version below 2.11.1 inside a codespace with GITHUB_TOKEN set, and their token could be sent to unintended hosts.

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 2.11.1 or later
Fixed in 2.11.1
Interim mitigation

Upgrade go-gh to version 2.11.1 or later to restrict `GITHUB_TOKEN` to only github.com and ghe.com hosts, then regenerate any exposed tokens and review audit logs.

Recommended fix High confidence

go-gh v2.11.1

  1. Check the current version of go-gh being used in your project or environment
  2. Upgrade go-gh to version 2.11.1 or later using your Go dependency management tool (e.g., `go get github.com/cli/[email protected]` or later)
  3. After upgrading, regenerate any GitHub authentication tokens that may have been exposed
  4. Review your personal security log and any relevant audit logs for actions associated with your account or enterprise

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

Fix this in Go Gh Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,920
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,072.

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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-2024-53859 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