CVE-2026-71556 is a high-severity (CVSS 7.1) CWE-59 vulnerability in github.com/go-git/go-git/v5. A fix is available for github.com/go-git/go-git/v5 — see the affected versions and patch details below.
go-git: Worktree operations may follow symlinks
Exploitation Status
No confirmed exploitation observed yet
- 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-2026-71556.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.
How urgent is this, really
Where this sits among everything scored
Real-World Exposure
github.com/go-git/go-git/v5🐹github.com/go-git/go-git/v6Real-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Go packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
Impact
A symlink traversal issue in go-git could allow worktree operations to modify files outside the intended worktree path.
The worktreeFilesystem wrapper rejected dangerous path strings, including paths containing .git, parent-directory components, or control characters. However, it did not prevent filesystem operations from following symbolic links that were already present in the worktree.
As a result, a path that is safe when evaluated as a string could still resolve into the repository's Git metadata directory. For example, if s is a symbolic link to .git, writing to s/config would modify .git/config.
A symbolic link at the final path component could also be followed. For example, if s points directly to .git/config, opening s for writing with truncation could overwrite the repository configuration.
Exploitation requires an attacker to be able to introduce or control a symbolic link in the worktree and cause the application to perform a write through that path.
Applications using storage/memory for their Storer, or go-billy/memfs for their Worktree, are not affected by this vulnerability.
Patches
The issue has been addressed by making the worktree filesystem wrapper a symlink-safe boundary.
Worktree operations now reject paths where an existing symbolic link in any path component could cause the operation to escape the intended worktree location, including symbolic links at the final component.
Users of filesystem-backed worktrees should upgrade to a patched version.
Credits
Thanks to @kodareef5 for reporting this issue and working with the go-git security team toward its resolution. :1st_place_medal: We would also like to thank @HughLewis20, who independently reported the same issue while a fix was already in progress.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐹Go | github.com/go-git/go-git/v5 | all versions | 5.19.2go get github.com/go-git/go-git/v5@v5.19.2 |
| 🐹Go | github.com/go-git/go-git/v6 | all versions | 6.0.0-alpha.5go get github.com/go-git/go-git/v6@v6.0.0-alpha.5 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for github.com/go-git/go-git/v5, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update github.com/go-git/go-git/v5 to 5.19.2 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2026-71556 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.
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.
go-git is a pure-Go implementation of Git. During worktree operations (checkout, status, add), go-git resolves symbolic links without confining resolution to the worktree boundary, so a maliciously crafted repository containing a symlink can cause a consuming application to read from or write to files outside the…
To reduce the risk of exploitation, do not clone or run worktree operations (checkout, status, add) on Git repositories originating from untrusted or attacker-controllable sources using an affected version of go-git. The issue is resolved by updating to go-git 5.19.2 or 6.0.0-alpha.5 (or later).Source: Red Hat security advisory for CVE-2026-71556 (CC BY 4.0)
| Product | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|
| RHEM 1.1 for RHEL 10 | flightctl-0:1.1.4-1.el10em | RHSA-2026:68334 |
| RHEM 1.2 for RHEL 10 | flightctl-0:1.2.1-1.el10 | RHSA-2026:68335 |
| Cluster Observability Operator 1.5 | cluster-observability-operator/perses-rhel9:1790854501 | RHSA-2026:74609 |
| external secrets operator for Red Hat OpenShift 1.2 | external-secrets-operator/external-secrets-rhel9:1788963929 | RHSA-2026:66363 |
| Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management for Kubernetes 2.11 | rhacm2/multicluster-operators-subscription-rhel9:1788976330 | RHSA-2026:67538 |
| Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management for Kubernetes 2.13 | rhacm2/multicluster-operators-subscription-rhel9:1788977270 | RHSA-2026:67540 |
| Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management for Kubernetes 2.14 | rhacm2/multicluster-operators-subscription-rhel9:1788976403 | RHSA-2026:67539 |
| Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management for Kubernetes 2.15 | rhacm2/multicluster-operators-subscription-rhel9:1788976524 | RHSA-2026:67541 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2026-71556 in your dependencies?
Find it across Go, including transitive dependencies.