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Go GitApplication · Go Git Project

CVE-2025-21613

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-01-06
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 5.13.0 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
go-git is a highly extensible git implementation library written in pure Go. An argument injection vulnerability was discovered in go-git versions prior to v5.13. Successful exploitation of this vulnerability could allow an attacker to set arbitrary values to git-upload-pack flags. This only happens when the file transport protocol is being used, as that is the only protocol that shells out to git binaries. This vulnerability is fixed in 5.13.0.

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

go-git library prior to v5.13 contains an argument injection vulnerability in its file transport protocol implementation, which shells out to git binaries. Attackers can inject arbitrary flags into git-upload-pack commands when cloning/pulling from local file:// repositories, potentially enabling command execution or unauthorized data access.

MitigationUpgrade go-git to v5.13.0 or later. If upgrade is not feasible, avoid using the file:// protocol with untrusted repositories and validate all local repository paths.

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 GitApplication
Affected:< 5.13.0

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 go-git dependency
    Review your project's go.mod file for a 'require' entry containing 'github.com/go-git/go-git' and note the version specified.
    Affected if The version listed is below v5.13.0 (e.g., v5.12.0, v5.11.0, etc.)
  2. Check installed go-git version
    Run 'go list -m github.com/go-git/go-git' in your project directory to see the resolved version, or run 'go mod graph | grep go-git' to check all dependency versions.
    Affected if The resolved version shows anything earlier than v5.13.0
  3. Identify file transport protocol usage
    Search your codebase for 'file://' URL patterns in git clone operations, such as 'git.Clone(url)' where url may start with 'file://', or look for file transport instantiation in go-git configuration.
    Affected if Code references or constructs file:// URLs for repository operations
  4. Audit input flow to file paths
    Trace how user-supplied strings are used in repository URL parameters. Check if path.join, filepath.Join, or string concatenation with 'file://' prefix incorporates unsanitized input.
    Affected if User-controlled or external input can influence the file path portion of a URL passed to go-git repository operations

Your environment is affected if go-git version is below v5.13.0 AND your application passes file URLs (especially with user-influenced paths) to go-git clone or fetch operations.

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 5.13.0 or later
Fixed in 5.13.0
Interim mitigation

Upgrade go-git to v5.13.0 or later. If upgrade is not feasible, avoid using the file:// protocol with untrusted repositories and validate all local repository paths.

Recommended fix High confidence

5.13.0

  1. Identify the current version of go-git in use by checking go.mod or running go list -m all | grep go-git
  2. Update go-git to version 5.13.0 or later using: go get github.com/go-git/go-git/[email protected]
  3. Run go mod tidy to clean up dependencies
  4. Rebuild and test the application to ensure the upgrade does not break existing functionality
  5. Specifically test any code that uses the file transport protocol (git.NewFilesystem) to verify the argument injection vulnerability is patched

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

Fix this in Go Git Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,390
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,224.

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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-2025-21613 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