CVE-2023-40590

highpriority · track · 31EPSS 0.005 · 43 %ileDEEURUUS
grimoire priorityP2 · Scheduled
Exploitable?
—
no known exploitation
Likely / severe?
0.51% (43rd) EPSS
CVSS 7.8 · high
Is it mine?
13 products
Check your exposure
Who says so?
6 sources
cnnvd · enisa_euvd · fstec_bdu · osv

EPSS · scored 2026-10-27

GitPython is a python library used to interact with Git repositories. When resolving a program, Python/Windows look for the current working directory, and after that the PATH environment. GitPython defaults to use the `git` command, if a user runs GitPython from a repo has a `git.exe` or `git` executable, that program will be run instead of the one in the user's `PATH`. This is more of a problem on how Python interacts with Windows systems, Linux and any other OS aren't affected by this. But probably people using GitPython usually run it from the CWD of a repo. An attacker can trick a user to download a repository with a malicious `git` executable, if the user runs/imports GitPython from that directory, it allows the attacker to run any arbitrary commands. There is no fix currently available for windows users, however there are a few mitigations. 1: Default to an absolute path for the git program on Windows, like `C:\\Program Files\\Git\\cmd\\git.EXE` (default git path installation). 2: Require users to set the `GIT_PYTHON_GIT_EXECUTABLE` environment variable on Windows systems. 3: Make this problem prominent in the documentation and advise users to never run GitPython from an untrusted repo, or set the `GIT_PYTHON_GIT_EXECUTABLE` env var to an absolute path. 4: Resolve the executable manually by only looking into the `PATH` environment variable.

01

cvss

Technical severity, 0–10. One row per scoring source.

7.8
010

base score 0–10 · higher = more severe · hover a vector to decode

v3.17.8highCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:Hprimary · NVD / NIST USexploitability 1.8 · impact 5.9
v3.17.8highAV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:Hsecondary · FSTEC (BDU) RU
v3.17.8highCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:Hsecondary · ENISA EU
v3.17.8highCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:Hsecondary · security-advisories@github.comexploitability 1.8 · impact 5.9
v3.17.8highCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:Hsecondary · OSV
v3.17.1highCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:Usecondary · CVSS-BT (t0sche)
02

ssvc

A stakeholder decision — act, attend, or track — from exploitation and impact.

Exploitation: poc · Automatable: no · Technical Impact: totalcoordinatorcisa_ssvcUS
03

weaknesses

The CWE weakness classes this flaw belongs to.

04

affected products (13)

Products and version ranges known to be affected.

05

advisories (3)

Vendor and ecosystem advisories describing this.

  • WID-SEC-W-2023-2428SaltStack Salt: Mehre SchwachstellenDeutsch2023-09-21csaf · cert_bundDE

    Ein Angreifer kann eine Schwachstelle in SaltStack Salt ausnutzen, um beliebigen Programmcode auszuführen.

  • GHSA-wfm5-v35h-vwf4GitPython untrusted search path on Windows systems leading to arbitrary code execution2023-08-29ghsa · osvUS

    ### Summary When resolving a program, Python/Windows look for the current working directory, and after that the PATH environment (see big warning in https://docs.python.org/3/library/subprocess.html#popen-constructor). GitPython defaults to use the `git` command, if a user runs GitPython from a repo has a `git.exe` or `git` executable, that program will be run instead of the one in the user's `PATH`. ### Details This is more of a problem on how Python interacts with Windows systems, Linux and any other OS aren't affected by this. But probably people using GitPython usually run it from the CWD of a repo. The execution of the `git` command happens in https://github.com/gitpython-developers/GitPython/blob/1c8310d7cae144f74a671cbe17e51f63a830adbf/git/cmd.py#L277 https://github.com/gitpython-developers/GitPython/blob/1c8310d7cae144f74a671cbe17e51f63a830adbf/git/cmd.py#L983-L996 And there are other commands executed that should probably be aware of this problem. ### PoC On a Windows system, create a `git.exe` or `git` executable in any directory, and import or run GitPython from that directory ``` python -c "import git" ``` The git executable from the current directory will be run. ### Impact An attacker can trick a user to download a repository with a malicious `git` executable, if the user runs/imports GitPython from that directory, it allows the attacker to run any arbitrary commands. ### Possible solutions - Default to an absolute path for the git program on Windows, like `C:\\Program Files\\Git\\cmd\\git.EXE` (default git path installation). - Require users to set the `GIT_PYTHON_GIT_EXECUTABLE` environment variable on Windows systems. - Make this problem prominent in the documentation and advise users to never run GitPython from an untrusted repo, or set the `GIT_PYTHON_GIT_EXECUTABLE` env var to an absolute path. - Resolve the executable manually by only looking into the `PATH` environment variable (suggested by @Byron) --- > [!NOTE] > This vulnerability was reported via email, and it was decided to publish it here and make it public, so the community is aware of it, and a fix can be provided.

  • PYSEC-2023-1612023-08-28vendor · osvUS

    GitPython is a python library used to interact with Git repositories. When resolving a program, Python/Windows look for the current working directory, and after that the PATH environment. GitPython defaults to use the `git` command, if a user runs GitPython from a repo has a `git.exe` or `git` executable, that program will be run instead of the one in the user's `PATH`. This is more of a problem on how Python interacts with Windows systems, Linux and any other OS aren't affected by this. But probably people using GitPython usually run it from the CWD of a repo. An attacker can trick a user to download a repository with a malicious `git` executable, if the user runs/imports GitPython from that directory, it allows the attacker to run any arbitrary commands. There is no fix currently available for windows users, however there are a few mitigations. 1: Default to an absolute path for the git program on Windows, like `C:\\Program Files\\Git\\cmd\\git.EXE` (default git path installation). 2: Require users to set the `GIT_PYTHON_GIT_EXECUTABLE` environment variable on Windows systems. 3: Make this problem prominent in the documentation and advise users to never run GitPython from an untrusted repo, or set the `GIT_PYTHON_GIT_EXECUTABLE` env var to an absolute path. 4: Resolve the executable manually by only looking into the `PATH` environment variable.

06

also known as (7)

Other names and identifiers for this entity.

07

sources

Which sources assert this record, and when.

08

references (7)

External citations — patches, advisories, analysis.

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