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.
CVE-2023-40590
This high-severity CVE scores 7.8 under NVD CVSS v3. EPSS exploit probability: 0.4%, top 41% of all CVEs by exploit prediction. GitHub Security Advisory data not yet ingested — confidence will rise once GHSA publishes (typical lag: hours to days for open-source ecosystem CVEs; never for infrastructure-only CVEs).
- High severity, but no confirmed exploitation yet
No vendor fix yet — apply a workaround or compensating control (WAF / firewall / segmentation) and watch for a patch.
- CVSS v3
- 7.8
- EG Score
- 7.8(medium)
- EPSS
- 37.1%
- KEV
- Not listed
Published
August 28, 2023
Last Modified
November 21, 2024
References (4)
- security-advisories@githubhttps://docs.python.org/3/library/subprocess.html#popen-constructor
- security-advisories@githubhttps://github.com/gitpython-developers/GitPython/security/advisories/GHSA-wfm5-v35h-vwf4
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108https://docs.python.org/3/library/subprocess.html#popen-constructor
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108https://github.com/gitpython-developers/GitPython/security/advisories/GHSA-wfm5-v35h-vwf4
Affected Packages
(1 across 1 ecosystem)
PyPI(1)
| Package | Vulnerable range | Fixed in | Dependents |
|---|---|---|---|
| gitpython | 0.1.7 ... 3.1.9 (86 versions) | 3.1.33 | — |
Weakness Classification(1)
MITRE Common Weakness Enumeration — the root-cause categories this CVE belongs to.
Data Freshness Timeline
(refreshed 8× in last 7d / 47× in last 30d)
Each row is a source pipeline that fetched or updated this CVE on that date, with what changed. For example, "NVD update" means NVD published or revised its analysis for this CVE; "MITRE cvelistV5" means we ingested or refreshed it from the CNA feed. Most recent first.
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Related CVEs(same CWE)
Same CWE
10 shownCWE-426
Frequently asked(5)
What is CVE-2023-40590?
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Dependency Blast Radius
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