CVE-2023-40267 is a critical-severity (CVSS 9.8) vulnerability in gitpython. A fix is available for gitpython — see the affected versions and patch details below.
GitPython vulnerable to remote code execution due to insufficient sanitization of input arguments
Exploitation Status
No confirmed exploitation observed yet
- CISA assesses this as automatable — exploitation doesn’t require manual, per-target effort, which raises the odds of mass scanning and opportunistic attacks.
- A successful exploit gives an attacker total control of the affected component, not partial access.
- CISA’s own triage has not observed active exploitation or public proof-of-concept code for this CVE as of its last assessment.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2023-40267.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.
How urgent is this, really
CVE-2023-40267 plotted by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). The shaded corner — EPSS 50%+ and CVSS 7.0+ — is where this CVE doesn't sit, though severity or exploitability alone can still warrant action.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 377,166 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the < 10% band (highlighted). Real counts from FIRST.org, not a sample — log-scaled since the landscape is heavily right-skewed.
Real-World Exposure
gitpythonReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects PyPI packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
GitPython before 3.1.32 does not block insecure non-multi options in clone and clone_from. NOTE: this issue exists because of an incomplete fix for CVE-2022-24439.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐍PyPI | gitpython | all versions | 3.1.32pip install --upgrade 'gitpython==3.1.32' |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for gitpython, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update gitpython to 3.1.32 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2023-40267 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 Security's impact-aware SCA analyses which vulnerable code paths your application actually calls, so a match like CVE-2023-40267 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to CVE-2023-40267. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Fixing This On Your OS
If you run this on a Linux distribution, patch through your package manager against the distro's own security advisory below — it tracks the exact backported fix for your release, which can ship on a different timeline (and sometimes a different severity) than the upstream project.
In Red Hat Openstack, Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform, and Red Hat Certification Program, while the gitpython dependency is present, the affected codebase is not being used. Red Hat Satellite does not use the affected functions during runtime, therefore the possible impact is limited to Moderate.
| Product | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.3 for RHEL 8 | automation-controller-0:4.3.13-1.el8ap | RHSA-2023:4991 |
| Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.4 for RHEL 8 | automation-controller-0:4.4.3-1.el8ap | RHSA-2023:4971 |
| Red Hat Satellite 6.13 for RHEL 8 | python-gitpython-0:3.1.32-1.el8pc | RHSA-2023:5931 |
| Red Hat Satellite 6.14 for RHEL 8 | python-gitpython-0:3.1.32-1.el8pc | RHSA-2023:6818 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2023-40267 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds CVE-2023-40267 across PyPI dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.