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Vulnerability Database

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A vulnerability is the underlying weakness. An exploit is the method or code used to take advantage of it. A zero-day is a vulnerability that is unknown to the vendor or has no publicly available fix when attackers begin using it. Risk increases sharply when exploitation becomes reliable or widespread.

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Use a repeatable triage model: focus first on externally exposed assets, high-value systems (identity, VPN, email, production), vulnerabilities with known exploits, and issues that enable remote code execution or privilege escalation. Then enforce patch SLAs and track progress so remediation is steady, not reactive.

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362,873

Total vulnerabilities in the database

GitPython: Arbitrary file overwrite via git diff --output argument injection in Diffable.diff (key- and value-controlled) — GitPython

Improper Neutralization of Argument Delimiters in a Command ('Argument Injection')

Summary

Diffable.diff() forwards **kwargs straight into diff/diff_tree with no check_unsafe_options guard. Diffable is mixed into Commit, Tree, IndexFile, and Submodule, giving a broad surface. git diff --output=<path> writes real patch content to an attacker-chosen path, enabling arbitrary file overwrite.

Root Cause

diff.py:188-283 builds and runs the diff command with no check_unsafe_options anywhere in the method (grep-confirmed). Additionally diff.py:265 does args.insert(0, other), placing the caller-supplied other ref BEFORE the -- separator, so a value of --output=/path is parsed by git as an option — a value-only control path requiring no kwarg key.

Impact

Overwrite/corrupt any file at process privilege with attacker-chosen path (e.g. ~/.ssh/authorized_keys, configs, lockfiles). Content is real diff/patch bytes (attacker-influenced). Per the skill's rule, controlling WHICH file is overwritten = I:H regardless of content constraints.

Proof of Concept

# Key-control:
commit.diff(other_commit, output=&#039;/home/app/.ssh/authorized_keys&#039;)   # victim overwritten with diff (105 bytes verified)
# Value-control (attacker controls only the ref string):
commit.diff(other=&#039;--output=/home/app/.ssh/authorized_keys&#039;)          # 14-byte victim -&gt; 146 bytes of diff-tree output

Attack Chain

Entry (value-control): commit.diff(other=<user ref>) with other = "--output=/home/app/.ssh/authorized_keys". Guard: none in Diffable.diff. Bypass proof: no check_unsafe_options in the method body (grep); other inserted pre--- at diff.py:265.
Sink: git diff-tree <sha> --output=/home/app/.ssh/authorized_keys -r ... -> git opens+truncates the target then writes diff content. Impact: overwrite/corrupt any file at process privilege (attacker chooses the path). Verified argv and victim overwrite live.

Bypass Evidence

Live-verified on HEAD (tag 3.1.53): both key-control (output=) and value-control (other='--output=...') overwrote a victim file with real diff-tree content; argv confirmed ['git','diff-tree','<sha>','--output=/victim','-r',...]. This is the same value-control model GHSA-956x deemed fix-worthy for iter_commits(rev='--output=') — but diff is a distinct, unguarded sink NOT touched by that fix.

Affected Versions

<= 3.1.53

Suggested Fix

Add check_unsafe_options to Diffable.diff (mirroring iter_commits/archive), and/or place --end-of-options before the other ref so it cannot be parsed as an option.

Reported by zx (Jace) — GitHub: @manus-use

Published: Jul 24, 2026
Updated: Jul 25, 2026
GHSA: GHSA-fjr4-x663-mwxc
Severity: High
Exploit:
CISA KEV:

CVSS v3:

Severity: High
Score: 8.1
AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H

CWEs:

CWE-88

OWASP TOP 10:

A1 - Injection

Affected Software
References

Software	From	Fixed in
GitPython	-	3.1.54

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Vulnerability (CVE) and why does it matter?

A security vulnerability is a weakness in software, hardware, or configuration that can be exploited to compromise confidentiality, integrity, or availability. Many vulnerabilities are tracked as CVEs (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures), which provide a standardized identifier so teams can coordinate patching, mitigation, and risk assessment across tools and vendors.

CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System) estimates technical severity, but it doesn't automatically equal business risk. Prioritize using context like internet exposure, affected asset criticality, known exploitation (proof-of-concept or in-the-wild), and whether compensating controls exist. A "Medium" CVSS on an exposed, production system can be more urgent than a "Critical" on an isolated, non-production host.

A vulnerability is the underlying weakness. An exploit is the method or code used to take advantage of it. A zero-day is a vulnerability that is unknown to the vendor or has no publicly available fix when attackers begin using it. In practice, risk increases sharply when exploitation becomes reliable or widespread.

Recurring findings usually come from incomplete Asset Discovery, inconsistent patch management, inherited images, and configuration drift. In modern environments, you also need to watch the software supply chain: dependencies, containers, build pipelines, and third-party services can reintroduce the same weakness even after you patch a single host. Unknown or unmanaged assets (often called Shadow IT) are a common reason the same issues resurface.

Use a simple, repeatable triage model: focus first on externally exposed assets, high-value systems (identity, VPN, email, production), vulnerabilities with known exploits, and issues that enable remote code execution or privilege escalation. Then enforce patch SLAs and track progress using consistent metrics so remediation is steady, not reactive.

SynScan combines attack surface monitoring and continuous security auditing to keep your inventory current, flag high-impact vulnerabilities early, and help you turn raw findings into a practical remediation plan.