GHSA-m4ch-rfv5-x5g3: Libgit2 sys Git2-rs Fails To Verify SSH Vulnerability

MODERATE
Share
CVSS 6.8
Published
Advisory Summary

GHSA-m4ch-rfv5-x5g3 is a MODERATE (CVSS 6.8) git2-rs fails to verify ssh vulnerability (General Security Weakness) affecting Libgit2 sys libraries in the crates.io ecosystem. The issue involves git2-rs fails to verify ssh keys by default. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 0.14.2, 0.13.5, 0.16.1.

GHSA-m4ch-rfv5-x5g3 at a Glance

CVE Identifier N/A
GHSA Identifier GHSA-m4ch-rfv5-x5g3
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 6.8
CWE Classification General Security Weakness
Affected Product Libgit2 sys
Package Ecosystem crates.io
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 6.8

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity High (AC:H)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction Required (UI:R)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix GHSA-m4ch-rfv5-x5g3

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Libgit2 sys dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

libgit2-sys fixed: 0.14.2 
Upgrade libgit2-sys to 0.14.2
libgit2-sys fixed: 0.13.5 
Upgrade libgit2-sys to 0.13.5
git2 fixed: 0.16.1 
Upgrade git2 to 0.16.1
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

inspect dependencies for libgit2-sys

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by GHSA-m4ch-rfv5-x5g3, inspect your project dependencies for Libgit2 sys:

inspect dependencies for libgit2-sys

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Libgit2 sys in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 0.14.2), your application is affected.

Note: Verify declared build manifests and deployed runtime container environments.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under General Security Weakness. In Libgit2 sys, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

The git2 and libgit2-sys crates are Rust wrappers around the [libgit2](https://libgit2.org/) C library. It was discovered that libgit2 1.5.0 and below did not verify SSH host keys when establishing an SSH connection, exposing users of the library to Man-In-the-Middle attacks. The libgit2 team assigned [CVE-2023-22742](https://github.com/libgit2/libgit2/security/advisories/GHSA-8643-3wh5-rmjq) to this vulnerability. The following versions of the libgit2-sys Rust crate have been released: * libgit2-sys 0.14.2, updating the underlying libgit2 C library to version 1.5.1. * libgit2-sys 0.13.5, updating the underlying libgit2 C library to version 1.4.5. A new git2 crate version has also been released, 0.16.1. This version only bumps its libgit2-sys dependency to ensure no vulnerable libgit2-sys versions are used, but contains no code changes: if you update the libgit2-sys version there is no need to also update the git2 crate version. [You can learn more about this vulnerability in libgit2's advisory](https://github.com/libgit2/libgit2/security/advisories/GHSA-8643-3wh5-rmjq)

GHSA-m4ch-rfv5-x5g3 Affected Libgit2 sys Versions

3 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
0.14.20.13.50.16.1
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
libgit2-sys
 crates.io
≥ 0.14.0
< 0.14.2
0.14.2
libgit2-sys
 crates.io
< 0.13.5
0.13.5
git2
 crates.io
< 0.16.1
0.16.1

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/libgit2/libgit2/security/advisories/GHSA-8643-3wh5-rmjq
GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/rust-lang/git2-rs/security/advisories/GHSA-m4ch-rfv5-x5g3
NVD — GHSA-m4ch-rfv5-x5g3 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-22742
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/rust-lang/git2-rs/commit/87934f87d36753ed702792ec063be7246444a8e1
Libgit2 sys Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/rust-lang/git2-rs
rustsec.org/advisories/rustsec-... WEB
https://rustsec.org/advisories/RUSTSEC-2023-0003.html

Frequently Asked Questions

What is GHSA-m4ch-rfv5-x5g3?
GHSA-m4ch-rfv5-x5g3 is a security vulnerability in Libgit2 sys involving git2-rs fails to verify SSH keys by default under General Security Weakness.
Which Libgit2 sys versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 0.14.2, 0.13.5, 0.16.1 across affected packages: libgit2-sys, git2.
What version fixes GHSA-m4ch-rfv5-x5g3?
Upgrading to 0.14.2, 0.13.5, 0.16.1 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is libgit2-sys affected?
Yes, libgit2-sys is affected in releases prior to 0.14.2, 0.13.5. Upgrade your dependency to 0.14.2, 0.13.5 or later.
Is git2 affected?
Yes, git2 is affected in releases prior to 0.16.1. Upgrade your dependency to 0.16.1 or later.
What is the CVSS score of GHSA-m4ch-rfv5-x5g3?
GHSA-m4ch-rfv5-x5g3 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.8 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N.
What CWE is associated with GHSA-m4ch-rfv5-x5g3?
GHSA-m4ch-rfv5-x5g3 is classified under General Security Weakness.
How can I check crates.io dependencies for GHSA-m4ch-rfv5-x5g3?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for libgit2-sys'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-m4ch-rfv5-x5g3",
  "modified" : "2026-10-14T17:07:22Z",
  "published" : "2023-01-20T23:36:41Z",
  "aliases" : [ ],
  "summary" : "git2-rs fails to verify SSH keys by default",
  "details" : "The git2 and libgit2-sys crates are Rust wrappers around the [libgit2](https://libgit2.org/) C library. It was discovered that libgit2 1.5.0 and below did not verify SSH host keys when establishing an SSH connection, exposing users of the library to Man-In-the-Middle attacks.\n\nThe libgit2 team assigned [CVE-2023-22742](https://github.com/libgit2/libgit2/security/advisories/GHSA-8643-3wh5-rmjq) to this vulnerability. The following versions of the libgit2-sys Rust crate have been released:\n\n* libgit2-sys 0.14.2, updating the underlying libgit2 C library to version 1.5.1.\n* libgit2-sys 0.13.5, updating the underlying libgit2 C library to version 1.4.5.\n\nA new git2 crate version has also been released, 0.16.1. This version only bumps its libgit2-sys dependency to ensure no vulnerable libgit2-sys versions are used, but contains no code changes: if you update the libgit2-sys version there is no need to also update the git2 crate version.\n\n[You can learn more about this vulnerability in libgit2's advisory](https://github.com/libgit2/libgit2/security/advisories/GHSA-8643-3wh5-rmjq)",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "crates.io",
      "name" : "libgit2-sys"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0.14.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "0.14.2"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "crates.io",
      "name" : "libgit2-sys"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "0.13.5"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "crates.io",
      "name" : "git2"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "0.16.1"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/libgit2/libgit2/security/advisories/GHSA-8643-3wh5-rmjq"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/rust-lang/git2-rs/security/advisories/GHSA-m4ch-rfv5-x5g3"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-22742"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/rust-lang/git2-rs/commit/87934f87d36753ed702792ec063be7246444a8e1"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/rust-lang/git2-rs"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://rustsec.org/advisories/RUSTSEC-2023-0003.html"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-01-20T23:36:41Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}