Malicious URLs can still cause Git to send a stored credential to the wrong server
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- Information disclosure
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · None · None
- Fix status
- Fixed
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · NVD. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat. Impact type from CWE-522.
Summary
Affected versions of Git have a vulnerability whereby Git can be tricked into sending private credentials to a host controlled by an attacker. This bug is similar to CVE-2020-5260(GHSA-qm7j-c969-7j4q). The fix for that bug still left the door open for an exploit where _some_ credential is leaked (but the attacker cannot control which one). Git uses external "credential helper" programs to store and retrieve passwords or other credentials from secure storage provided by the operating system. Specially-crafted URLs that are considered illegal as of the recently published Git versions can cause Git to send a "blank" pattern to helpers, missing hostname and protocol fields. Many helpers will interpret this as matching _any_ URL, and will return some unspecified stored password, leaking the password to an attacker's server. The vulnerability can be triggered by feeding a malicious URL to `git clone`. However, the affected URLs look rather suspicious; the likely vector would be through systems which automatically clone URLs not visible to the user, such as Git submodules, or package systems built around Git. The root of the problem is in Git itself, which should not be feeding blank input to helpers. However, the ability to exploit the vulnerability in practice depends on which helpers are in use. Credential helpers which are known to trigger the vulnerability: - Git's "store" helper - Git's "cache" helper - the "osxkeychain" helper that ships in Git's "contrib" directory Credential helpers which are known to be safe even with vulnerable versions of Git: - Git Credential Manager for Windows Any helper not in this list should be assumed to trigger the vulnerability.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
Not available: CISA has not published SSVC decision points for this record.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Git | git | before 2.17.5; 2.18.0 to before 2.18.4; >= 2.19.0, 2.19.5; 2.20.0 to before 2.20.4; 2.21.0 to before 2.21.3; 2.22.0 to before 2.22.4; 2.23.0 to before 2.23.3; 2.24.0 to before 2.24.3; 2.25.0 to before 2.25.4; 2.26.0 to before 2.26.2 | 2.17.5, 2.18.4, 2.20.4, 2.21.3, 2.22.4, 2.23.3, 2.24.3, 2.25.4, 2.26.2 | Patch available | CNA |
- git VendorGit Affected before 2.17.5; 2.18.0 to before 2.18.4; >= 2.19.0, 2.19.5; 2.20.0 to before 2.20.4; 2.21.0 to before 2.21.3; 2.22.0 to before 2.22.4; 2.23.0 to before 2.23.3; 2.24.0 to before 2.24.3; 2.25.0 to before 2.25.4; 2.26.0 to before 2.26.2 Fixed in 2.17.5, 2.18.4, 2.20.4, 2.21.3, 2.22.4, 2.23.3, 2.24.3, 2.25.4, 2.26.2 Patch available CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 7
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:a:git-scm:git:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | before 2.17.5; 2.18.0 to before 2.18.4; 2.19.0 to before 2.19.5; 2.20.0 to before 2.20.4; 2.21.0 to before 2.21.3; 2.22.0 to before 2.22.4; 2.23.0 to before 2.23.3; 2.24.0 to before 2.24.3; 2.25.0 to before 2.25.4; 2.26.0 to before 2.26.2 | Vulnerable | Git-scm |
| cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:16.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:* | 16.04 | Vulnerable | Canonical |
| cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:18.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:* | 18.04 | Vulnerable | Canonical |
| cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:19.10:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 19.10 | Vulnerable | Canonical |
| cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:8.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 8.0 | Vulnerable | Debian |
| cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:31:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 31 | Vulnerable | Fedoraproject |
| cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:32:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 32 | Vulnerable | Fedoraproject |
- cpe:2.3:a:git-scm:git:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions before 2.17.5; 2.18.0 to before 2.18.4; 2.19.0 to before 2.19.5; 2.20.0 to before 2.20.4; 2.21.0 to before 2.21.3; 2.22.0 to before 2.22.4; 2.23.0 to before 2.23.3; 2.24.0 to before 2.24.3; 2.25.0 to before 2.25.4; 2.26.0 to before 2.26.2 Vulnerable ·Git-scm
- cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:16.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:* Versions 16.04 Vulnerable ·Canonical
- cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:18.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:* Versions 18.04 Vulnerable ·Canonical
- cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:19.10:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 19.10 Vulnerable ·Canonical
- cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:8.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 8.0 Vulnerable ·Debian
- cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:31:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 31 Vulnerable ·Fedoraproject
- cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:32:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 32 Vulnerable ·Fedoraproject
Remediation
- Fix · CNA git (git) Fixed in 2.17.5, 2.18.4, 2.20.4, 2.21.3, 2.22.4, 2.23.3, 2.24.3, 2.25.4, 2.26.2
Red Hat 6 advisories
- RHSA-2020:3581 Released 2020-08-31 · Red Hat rating Importantgit security update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux ComputeNode Optional EUS (v. 7.7) emacs-git-1.8.3.1-23.el7_7, emacs-git-el-1.8.3.1-23.el7_7, git-1.8.3.1-23.el7_7 +15
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server EUS (v. 7.7) git-1.8.3.1-23.el7_7, perl-Git-1.8.3.1-23.el7_7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server Optional EUS (v. 7.7) emacs-git-1.8.3.1-23.el7_7, emacs-git-el-1.8.3.1-23.el7_7, git-all-1.8.3.1-23.el7_7 +13
- RHSA-2020:2337 Released 2020-05-28 · Red Hat rating Importantgit security update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Client Optional (v. 7) emacs-git-1.8.3.1-23.el7_8, emacs-git-el-1.8.3.1-23.el7_8, git-1.8.3.1-23.el7_8 +15
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux ComputeNode Optional (v. 7) emacs-git-1.8.3.1-23.el7_8, emacs-git-el-1.8.3.1-23.el7_8, git-1.8.3.1-23.el7_8 +15
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server (v. 7) git-1.8.3.1-23.el7_8, perl-Git-1.8.3.1-23.el7_8
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server Optional (v. 7) emacs-git-1.8.3.1-23.el7_8, emacs-git-el-1.8.3.1-23.el7_8, git-all-1.8.3.1-23.el7_8 +13
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Workstation (v. 7) git-1.8.3.1-23.el7_8, perl-Git-1.8.3.1-23.el7_8
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Workstation Optional (v. 7) emacs-git-1.8.3.1-23.el7_8, emacs-git-el-1.8.3.1-23.el7_8, git-all-1.8.3.1-23.el7_8 +13
- RHSA-2020:1980 Released 2020-04-30 · Red Hat rating Importantgit security update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 8) git-2.18.4-2.el8_2, git-all-2.18.4-2.el8_2, git-core-2.18.4-2.el8_2 +11
Show 3 more Red Hat advisories
- RHSA-2020:1978 Released 2020-04-30 · Red Hat rating Importantgit security update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream E4S (v. 8.0) git-2.18.4-1.el8_0, git-all-2.18.4-1.el8_0, git-core-2.18.4-1.el8_0 +11
- RHSA-2020:1979 Released 2020-04-30 · Red Hat rating Importantgit security update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream EUS (v. 8.1) git-2.18.4-1.el8_1, git-all-2.18.4-1.el8_1, git-core-2.18.4-1.el8_1 +11
- RHSA-2020:1975 Released 2020-04-29 · Red Hat rating Importantrh-git218-git security update
- Red Hat Software Collections for Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server (v. 7) rh-git218-git-2.18.4-1.el7, rh-git218-git-all-2.18.4-1.el7, rh-git218-git-core-2.18.4-1.el7 +13
- Red Hat Software Collections for Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server EUS (v. 7.6) rh-git218-git-2.18.4-1.el7, rh-git218-git-all-2.18.4-1.el7, rh-git218-git-core-2.18.4-1.el7 +13
- Red Hat Software Collections for Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server EUS (v. 7.7) rh-git218-git-2.18.4-1.el7, rh-git218-git-all-2.18.4-1.el7, rh-git218-git-core-2.18.4-1.el7 +13
- Red Hat Software Collections for Red Hat Enterprise Linux Workstation (v. 7) rh-git218-git-2.18.4-1.el7, rh-git218-git-all-2.18.4-1.el7, rh-git218-git-core-2.18.4-1.el7 +13
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Important. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 8) | Fixed | RHSA-2020:1980 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream E4S (v. 8.0) | Fixed | RHSA-2020:1978 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream EUS (v. 8.1) | Fixed | RHSA-2020:1979 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Client Optional (v. 7) | Fixed | RHSA-2020:2337 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux ComputeNode Optional (v. 7) | Fixed | RHSA-2020:2337 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux ComputeNode Optional EUS (v. 7.7) | Fixed | RHSA-2020:3581 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server (v. 7) | Fixed | RHSA-2020:2337 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server EUS (v. 7.7) | Fixed | RHSA-2020:3581 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server Optional (v. 7) | Fixed | RHSA-2020:2337 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server Optional EUS (v. 7.7) | Fixed | RHSA-2020:3581 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Workstation (v. 7) | Fixed | RHSA-2020:2337 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Workstation Optional (v. 7) | Fixed | RHSA-2020:2337 |
| Red Hat Software Collections for Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server (v. 7) | Fixed | RHSA-2020:1975 |
| Red Hat Software Collections for Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server EUS (v. 7.6) | Fixed | RHSA-2020:1975 |
| Red Hat Software Collections for Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server EUS (v. 7.7) | Fixed | RHSA-2020:1975 |
| Red Hat Software Collections for Red Hat Enterprise Linux Workstation (v. 7) | Fixed | RHSA-2020:1975 |
Not affected: 1 product
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2020-11008
- 2026-10-14 EPSS moved to the 90th–95th percentile
References
Patch 3
Advisory 7
More Git vulnerabilities
- TI-2025-30709 Git allows arbitrary code execution through broken config quoting KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.1
- TI-2022-07580 gitattributes parsing integer overflow in git CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2022-20244 Integer overflow in `git archive`, `git log --format` leading to RCE in git CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2021-04400 malicious repositories can execute remote code while cloning CVSS 3.1HIGH 8.0
- TI-2024-21101 Git's recursive clones on case-insensitive filesystems that support symlinks are susceptible to Remote Code Execution CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.1
- TI-2023-10933 "git apply --reject" partially-controlled arbitrary file write CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.5
Sources
- CVE-2020-11008 · CVE Program
- CVE-2020-11008 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- CVE-2020-11008 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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