Dulwich has unbounded memory allocation in receive-pack from crafted thin packs
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- Required
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- Denial of service
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · None · High
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 6 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CNA. Fix status from CNA, GitHub and Red Hat. Impact type from CWE-400.
Summary
Dulwich is a pure-Python implementation of the Git file formats and protocols. Starting in version 0.1.0 and prior to version 1.2.5, a client with push access could push a tiny crafted thin pack (~174 bytes) whose delta header declares a huge dest_size. When dulwich ingested it via add_thin_pack / apply_delta, it would allocate hundreds of MB of memory based on that attacker-controlled size, with no relationship to the actual bytes received. Operators running a Dulwich-based Git server that exposes git-receive-pack (i.e. accepts pushes) - for example via dulwich.server functionality, the HTTP smart server, or anything built on ReceivePackHandler - are impacted. The issue is patched in 1.2.5. add_thin_pack now accepts a max_input_size keyword (bytes; 0/None = unlimited, matching git's semantics), and ReceivePackHandler reads receive.maxInputSize from the repository config and passes it through. Wire reads are counted and a PackInputTooLarge exception is raised once the cap is exceeded - equivalent to git index-pack --max-input-size. Users should upgrade to Dulwich 1.2.5 or later and set receive.maxInputSize in their server's repository config to a sane bound for their environment. On unpatched versions, receive.maxInputSize has no effect, so it cannot be used as a workaround. Until upgrading, operators should restrict dulwich-receive-pack (push) access to trusted, authenticated clients only, or disable it entirely on servers that only need to serve fetches and/or run the server under an OS-level memory limit (e.g. ulimit, cgroups/MemoryMax, or a container memory limit) so a malicious push is killed rather than taking down the host.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Partial
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| jelmer | dulwich | 0.1.0 to before 1.2.5 | 1.2.5 | Patch available | CNA |
| — | dulwich (PyPI) | 0.1.0 to before 1.2.5 | 1.2.5 | Patch available | GHSA-xrvj-v92f-53gj |
- dulwich Vendorjelmer Affected 0.1.0 to before 1.2.5 Fixed in 1.2.5 Patch available CNA
- dulwich (PyPI) Vendor— Affected 0.1.0 to before 1.2.5 Fixed in 1.2.5 Patch available GHSA-xrvj-v92f-53gj
Remediation
- Fix · CNA dulwich (jelmer) Fixed in 1.2.5
- Fix · GHSA-xrvj-v92f-53gj dulwich (PyPI) Fixed in 1.2.5 Advisory →
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Moderate. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat OpenShift AI (RHOAI) | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat Satellite 6 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-47734
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-xrvj-v92f-53gj
- 2026-10-16 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
References
More jelmer vulnerabilities
- TI-2026-78707 Path traversal in Dulwich lets attackers write files on Windows CVSS 4.0HIGH 8.7
- TI-2026-37846 Path traversal in jelmer dulwich CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.5
- TI-2026-30843 Dulwich Vulnerable to Command Injection via Merge Driver Path CVSS 4.0HIGH 7.7
- TI-2026-78709 Symlink following in Dulwich checkout allows arbitrary file writes CVSS 4.0HIGH 7.3
- TI-2026-30613 Dulwich has an arbitrary file write via NTFS-hostile tree entries on Windows CVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
- TI-2026-85266 Dulwich commit parser picks the wrong tree from duplicate headers CVSS 4.0HIGH 8.6
Sources
- CVE-2026-47734 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-47734 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-xrvj-v92f-53gj · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-47734 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences