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HIGH severity

GitPython: Incomplete unsafe_git_clone_options denylist omits --template enabling arbitrary command execution via clone hooksGHSA-6p8h-3wgx-97gf

HIGHFix: gitpython-developers/GitPython#2180

GHSA-6p8h-3wgx-97gf is a high-severity (CVSS 7.5) OS Command Injection vulnerability in gitpython. A fix is available for gitpython — see the affected versions and patch details below.

Also known asCVE-2026-73623PYSEC-2026-3952
Published
Updated
Affected
1 pkg
Patched
1 / 1
Exploits
None indexed
Exploitation data as of Oct 21, 2026 · OSV.dev, NVD, FIRST.org (EPSS)

Exploitation Status

Proof-of-concept exploit code exists

  • CISA’s SSVC triage found public proof-of-concept exploit code for this CVE, though no confirmed active exploitation.
  • A successful exploit gives an attacker total control of the affected component, not partial access.

Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for GHSA-6p8h-3wgx-97gf.

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗
0.8%probability of exploitation in next 30 days
Lower Risk0.00%
Lower risk than most CVEs57th percentile — riskier than 57% of all scored CVEsHighest risk
0.19%0.57%0.95%1.33%0.7%0.8%0.8%Sep 26Oct 26Oct 26

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.

How urgent is this, really

GHSA-6p8h-3wgx-97gf by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). Outside the shaded patch-first corner.

Where this sits among everything scored

Of 394,803 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the < 10% band (highlighted). Counts from FIRST.org, log-scaled.

Real-World Exposure

1 pkg affected
🐍gitpython

Real-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

Summary

GitPython's unsafe_git_clone_options denylist omits --template. git clone --template=<dir> copies <dir>/hooks/ into the new repository and runs them (post-checkout fires during clone), so a caller who can influence clone options can achieve arbitrary command execution in the default allow_unsafe_options=False configuration.

Root Cause

base.py:145-152 defines unsafe_git_clone_options = ["--upload-pack","-u","--config","-c"] — --template is absent. The guard candidate ['--template'] passes check_unsafe_options (verified). git copies the hook directory and executes post-checkout at checkout time. git's protocol.allow/GIT_ALLOW_PROTOCOL do not gate --template; the incomplete denylist is the only defense.

Impact

Arbitrary OS command execution during clone (default config). Requires an attacker-readable directory containing an executable hook — a genuine second precondition (realistic via shared filesystems, upload dirs, /tmp, or attacker-writable network paths), reflected as AC:H.

Proof of Concept

# attacker stages <dir>/hooks/post-checkout (chmod +x)
from git import Repo
Repo.clone_from(src, dst, template='<dir>')   # post-checkout hook executes -> marker created (verified)

Attack Chain

  1. Setup: attacker stages <dir>/hooks/post-checkout (chmod +x). Guard: n/a (filesystem).
  2. Entry: Repo.clone_from(url, path, template='<dir>'). Guard: check_unsafe_options(candidates=['--template'], unsafe=unsafe_git_clone_options). Bypass proof: --template not on the denylist -> passes (verified candidate ['--template'], no error).
  3. Sink: git copies the hook and executes post-checkout at checkout. Impact: ACE, default config (verified marker created).

Bypass Evidence

Live-verified on HEAD (tag 3.1.53): guard candidate ['--template'] passed with no error; staged post-checkout hook executed during clone_from, creating the marker. Independent of the value-smuggle bypass (--template is a legitimate long option that survives any single-char-value fix). Not covered by any existing advisory.

Affected Versions

<= 3.1.53

Suggested Fix

Add --template (and audit for other hook/exec-influencing options) to unsafe_git_clone_options.

Reported by zx (Jace) — GitHub: @manus-use

Affected Packages

1 total 1 fixed
EcosystemPackageVulnerable rangeFix
🐍PyPIgitpythonall versions3.1.54pip install --upgrade 'gitpython==3.1.54'

Affected Products

1 product · 1 configurations
Application
gitpythongitpython_project
< 3.1.54
range

Detection & mitigation playbook

Open-source dependency

  1. Detect

    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.

  2. Fix

    Update gitpython to 3.1.54 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-6p8h-3wgx-97gf is resolved across your whole dependency graph.

  3. Workarounds

    Stop passing untrusted input into the interpreter or shell: call the affected binary with an argument array rather than a composed command string, reject anything outside a strict allowlist of expected values, and run the component under an account that cannot reach beyond the work it legitimately does.

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.

Red HatImportant

This is an Important severity flaw in GitPython where an incomplete denylist in `unsafe_git_clone_options` allows remote code execution. An attacker can leverage the `--template` option to execute arbitrary commands during repository cloning by pointing to a directory containing malicious post-checkout hooks. This…

ProductFixed inAdvisory
Red Hat Satellite 6.16 for RHEL 8foreman-0:3.12.0.23-1.el8satRHSA-2026:74506
Red Hat Satellite 6.17 for RHEL 9foreman-0:3.14.0.22-1.el9satRHSA-2026:74505
Red Hat Satellite 6.19 for RHEL 9python3.12-gitpython-0:3.1.59-1.el9pcRHSA-2026:63385
Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.5ansible-automation-platform-25/controller-rhel8:1789607021RHSA-2026:71210
Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.6ansible-automation-platform-26/controller-rhel9:1789673739RHSA-2026:71179
Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.7ansible-automation-platform-27/controller-rhel9:1788918363RHSA-2026:67279
Red Hat OpenShift AI 2.25rhoai/odh-workbench-jupyter-datascience-cpu-py312-rhel9:1788315638RHSA-2026:65126
Red Hat OpenShift AI 2.25rhoai/odh-feature-server-rhel9:1792148523RHSA-2026:87410

Frequently Asked Questions

## Summary GitPython's `unsafe_git_clone_options` denylist omits `--template`. `git clone --template=<dir>` copies `<dir>/hooks/` into the new repository and runs them (`post-checkout` fires during clone), so a caller who can influence clone options can achieve arbitrary command execution in the default `allow_unsafe_options=False` configuration. ## Root Cause `base.py:145-152` defines `unsafe_git_clone_options = ["--upload-pack","-u","--config","-c"]` — `--template` is absent. The guard candidate `['--template']` passes `check_unsafe_options` (verified). git copies the hook directory and exe
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