CVE-2023-41040: GitPython GitPython Blind Local File Inclusion Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-cwvm-v4w8-q58c
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CVSS 4.0
CWE-22
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2023-41040 is a MODERATE (CVSS 4.0) gitpython blind local file inclusion vulnerability (CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')) affecting GitPython libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves gitpython blind local file inclusion. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 3.1.37.

CVE-2023-41040 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2023-41040
GHSA Identifier GHSA-cwvm-v4w8-q58c
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 4.0
CWE Classification CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
Affected Product GitPython
Package Ecosystem PyPI
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 4.0

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

Attack Vector Local (AV:L)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality None (C:N)
Integrity None (I:N)
Availability Low (A:L)

How to Fix CVE-2023-41040

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

GitPython fixed: 3.1.37 
pip install GitPython>=3.1.37
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

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

pip show GitPython

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Python environment is affected by CVE-2023-41040, inspect your installed packages using pip:

pip show GitPython

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of GitPython in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 3.1.37), your application is affected.

Note: The pip show GitPython command checks currently installed packages in your active Python environment.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal'), where the product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory. In GitPython, 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

### Summary In order to resolve some git references, GitPython reads files from the `.git` directory, in some places the name of the file being read is provided by the user, GitPython doesn't check if this file is located outside the `.git` directory. This allows an attacker to make GitPython read any file from the system. ### Details This vulnerability is present in https://github.com/gitpython-developers/GitPython/blob/1c8310d7cae144f74a671cbe17e51f63a830adbf/git/refs/symbolic.py#L174-L175 That code joins the base directory with a user given string without checking if the final path is located outside the base directory. I was able to exploit it from three places, but there may be more code paths that lead to it: https://github.com/gitpython-developers/GitPython/blob/1c8310d7cae144f74a671cbe17e51f63a830adbf/git/repo/base.py#L605 https://github.com/gitpython-developers/GitPython/blob/1c8310d7cae144f74a671cbe17e51f63a830adbf/git/repo/base.py#L620 https://github.com/gitpython-developers/GitPython/blob/1c8310d7cae144f74a671cbe17e51f63a830adbf/git/index/base.py#L1353 ### PoC Running GitPython within any repo should work, here is an example with the GitPython repo. ```python import git r = git.Repo(".") # This will make GitPython read the README.md file from the root of the repo r.commit("../README.md") r.tree("../README.md") r.index.diff("../README.md") # Reading /etc/random # WARNING: this will probably halt your system, run with caution # r.commit("../../../../../../../../../dev/random") ``` ### Impact I wasn't able to show the contents of the files (that's why "blind" local file inclusion), depending on how GitPython is being used, this can be used by an attacker for something _inoffensive_ as checking if a file exits, or cause a DoS by making GitPython read a big/infinite file (like `/dev/random` on Linux systems). ### Possible solutions A solution would be to check that the final path isn't located outside the `repodir` path (maybe even after resolving symlinks). Maybe there could be other checks in place to make sure that the reference names are valid.

CVE-2023-41040 Affected GitPython Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
3.1.37
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
GitPython
pypi/GitPython
PyPI
< 3.1.37
3.1.37

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/gitpython-developers/GitPython/security/advisories/GHSA-cwvm-v4w8-q58c
NVD — CVE-2023-41040 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-41040
GitPython Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/gitpython-developers/GitPython/pull/1672
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/gitpython-developers/GitPython/commit/74e55ee4544867e1bd976b7df5a45869ee397b0b
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/gitpython-developers/GitPython/commit/e98f57b81f792f0f5e18d33ee658ae395f9aa3c4
GitPython Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/gitpython-developers/GitPython
GitPython Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/gitpython-developers/GitPython/blob/1c8310d7cae144f74a671cbe17e51f63a830adbf/git/refs/symbolic.py#L174-L175
GitPython Release RELEASE
https://github.com/gitpython-developers/GitPython/releases/tag/3.1.37
GitPython Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/gitpython/PYSEC-2023-165.yaml
lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce... WEB
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2023/09/msg00036.html
lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce... WEB
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2024/10/msg00030.html

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-41040?
CVE-2023-41040 is a security vulnerability in GitPython involving GitPython blind local file inclusion under CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal').
Which GitPython versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 3.1.37 across affected packages: GitPython.
What version fixes CVE-2023-41040?
Upgrading to 3.1.37 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is GitPython affected?
Yes, GitPython is affected in releases prior to 3.1.37. Upgrade your dependency to 3.1.37 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2023-41040?
CVE-2023-41040 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 4.0 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2023-41040?
CVE-2023-41040 is classified under CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') (The product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory.).
How can I check PyPI dependencies for CVE-2023-41040?
Run the dependency tree command: 'pip show GitPython'. 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-cwvm-v4w8-q58c",
  "modified" : "2025-11-04T16:45:32Z",
  "published" : "2023-08-30T20:09:36Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2023-41040" ],
  "summary" : "GitPython blind local file inclusion",
  "details" : "### Summary\n\nIn order to resolve some git references, GitPython reads files from the `.git` directory, in some places the name of the file being read is provided by the user, GitPython doesn't check if this file is located outside the `.git` directory. This allows an attacker to make GitPython read any file from the system.\n\n### Details\n\nThis vulnerability is present in\n\nhttps://github.com/gitpython-developers/GitPython/blob/1c8310d7cae144f74a671cbe17e51f63a830adbf/git/refs/symbolic.py#L174-L175\n\nThat code joins the base directory with a user given string without checking if the final path is located outside the base directory.\n\nI was able to exploit it from three places, but there may be more code paths that lead to it:\n\nhttps://github.com/gitpython-developers/GitPython/blob/1c8310d7cae144f74a671cbe17e51f63a830adbf/git/repo/base.py#L605\n\nhttps://github.com/gitpython-developers/GitPython/blob/1c8310d7cae144f74a671cbe17e51f63a830adbf/git/repo/base.py#L620\n\nhttps://github.com/gitpython-developers/GitPython/blob/1c8310d7cae144f74a671cbe17e51f63a830adbf/git/index/base.py#L1353\n\n### PoC\n\nRunning GitPython within any repo should work, here is an example with the GitPython repo.\n\n```python\nimport git\n\nr = git.Repo(\".\")\n\n# This will make GitPython read the README.md file from the root of the repo\nr.commit(\"../README.md\")\nr.tree(\"../README.md\")\nr.index.diff(\"../README.md\")\n\n# Reading /etc/random\n# WARNING: this will probably halt your system, run with caution\n# r.commit(\"../../../../../../../../../dev/random\")\n```\n\n### Impact\n\nI wasn't able to show the contents of the files (that's why \"blind\" local file inclusion), depending on how GitPython is being used, this can be used by an attacker for something _inoffensive_ as checking if a file exits, or cause a DoS by making GitPython read a big/infinite file (like `/dev/random` on Linux systems).\n\n### Possible solutions\n\nA solution would be to check that the final path isn't located outside the `repodir` path (maybe even after resolving symlinks). Maybe there could be other checks in place to make sure that the reference names are valid.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:L/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
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      "name" : "GitPython"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
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      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.1.37"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/gitpython-developers/GitPython/security/advisories/GHSA-cwvm-v4w8-q58c"
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    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-41040"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/gitpython-developers/GitPython/pull/1672"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/gitpython-developers/GitPython/commit/74e55ee4544867e1bd976b7df5a45869ee397b0b"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/gitpython-developers/GitPython/commit/e98f57b81f792f0f5e18d33ee658ae395f9aa3c4"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
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  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/gitpython-developers/GitPython/releases/tag/3.1.37"
  }, {
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    "url" : "https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/gitpython/PYSEC-2023-165.yaml"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2023/09/msg00036.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2024/10/msg00030.html"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-22" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-08-30T20:09:36Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2023-08-30T22:15:09Z"
  }
}