Path Traversal in Libgit2
CVE-2026-53584
libgit2 is a portable C implementation of the Git core methods provided as a linkable library with a solid API, allowing to build Git functionality into your application. Prior to 1.8.6 and 1.9.5, libgit2 does not reject traversal components in a submodule path loaded from .gitmodules. The affected src/libgit2/submodule.c paths include git_submodule_lookup and git_submodule_add_setup. A crafted repository can specify a path such as ../escape-target, and applications that initialize the submodule can create directories outside the repository working tree. This issue is fixed in versions 1.8.6 and 1.9.5.
Vulnerability class: Path Traversal (Directory Traversal)
CVSS v3 metric
CVSS v3 base score 4.3 (Medium). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N.
Affected products
- Libgit2 — versions < 1.8.6, >= 1.9.0, < 1.9.5
Weakness classification (CWE)
References
- security-advisories@github.com (x_refsource_CONFIRM)
- security-advisories@github.com (x_refsource_MISC)
- security-advisories@github.com (x_refsource_MISC)
- security-advisories@github.com (x_refsource_MISC)
- security-advisories@github.com (x_refsource_MISC)
- security-advisories@github.com (x_refsource_MISC)
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2026-53584?
- CVE-2026-53584 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Libgit2, classified under Path Traversal. CVSS score: 4.3/10. Published 2026-08-20.
- How severe is CVE-2026-53584?
- Medium severity. CVSS v3 base score is 4.3 out of 10.