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CVE-2026-5917

libgit2 v0.27.0-v1.9.0 Shell Command Injection via ssh_libssh2 Backend

Published: Aug 11, 2026Updated: Aug 12, 2026 Sources: CVE List NVDCWE-78
9.6CRITICAL
NVD MITRE
EPSS Score
0.9%
Top 43.5%
CISA KEV
Not in KEV
Exploits
No Known Exploits
Remediation
No Fix Available
Self-Check
OpenVAS

Description

libgit2 versions v0.27.0 through v1.9.0 built with the libssh2 SSH backend (USE_SSH=libssh2) contain a shell command injection vulnerability that allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands on an SSH server by supplying a repository path containing unescaped shell metacharacters such as single quotes, semicolons, or pipes. The gen_proto() function in ssh_libssh2.c inserts the repository path directly into a shell command string without escaping special characters before passing it to libssh2_channel_exec(), enabling an attacker to craft a malicious submodule URL in a .gitmodules file that, when processed during a recursive clone, causes the remote server's shell to interpret injected commands under the victim's SSH user account.

No summary for this CVE yet.

CVSS Vector Breakdown

AV:NAC:LPR:NUI:RS:CC:HI:HA:H
Exploitability
AV:NAttack Vector
Network
AC:LAttack Complexity
Low
PR:NPrivileges Required
None
UI:RUser Interaction
Required
Scope
S:CScope
Changed
Impact
C:HConfidentiality
High
I:HIntegrity
High
A:HAvailability
High
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Weaknesses

CWE-78

Affected Products

libgit2
oss-projectaka libgit 2
libgit2Library
OSS Libraries / generic-library

Exploitability

No known exploits, KEV entries, or remediation guidance available for this vulnerability yet.
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Attack Graph

Products CVE Techniques Tactics

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MITRE ATT&CK

1 technique
Execution
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References

https://github.com/libgit2/libgit2
github.com
https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/libgit2-shell-command-injection-via-ssh-libssh2-backend
vulncheck.com

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