Recursive repository cloning can leak authentication tokens to non-GitHub submodule hosts

Exploitation

No confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next marks exploitation only from CISA KEV.

CVSS

6.5 · CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:L

EPSS

• CVE-2024-53858: 0.28% estimated exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 20.46 (FIRST EPSS, 2026-11-03). This is a model estimate, not proof of exploitation or customer exposure.

As published by the source; long descriptions are shortened.

Summary A security vulnerability has been identified in the GitHub CLI that could leak authentication tokens when cloning repositories containing git submodules hosted outside of GitHub.com and ghe.com. Details This vulnerability stems from several gh commands used to clone a repository with submodules from a non-GitHub host including gh repo clone, gh repo fork, gh pr checkout. These GitHub CLI commands invoke git with instructions to retrieve authentication tokens using the credential.helper configuration variable for any host encountered. Prior to 2.63.0, hosts other than GitHub.com and ghe.com are treated as GitHub Enterprise Server hosts and have tokens sourced from the following environment variables before falling back to host-specific tokens stored within system-specific secured storage: - GITHUBENTERPRISETOKEN - GHENTERPRISETOKEN - GITHUBTOKEN when CODESPACES environment variable is set The result being git sending authentication tokens when cloning submodules. In 2.63.0,…

Published by the source

27 Nov 2024, 21:43 UTC

Last modified by the source

2 Dec 2024, 19:11 UTC

Source last checked

26 Oct 2026, 15:08 UTC

1. Revision 1 · created · 26 Oct 2026

   Published from ghsa record GHSA-jwcm-9g39-pmcw

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# Patch Next advisory brief: CVE-2024-53858

Advisory: Recursive repository cloning can leak authentication tokens to non-GitHub submodule hosts
IDs: CVE-2024-53858, GHSA-jwcm-9g39-pmcw
Record: https://patchnext.com/advisories/cve-2024-53858 (revision 1, source checked 26 Oct 2026, 15:08 UTC)
Inventory: none attached. This brief comes from a public page and does not say whether any deployment is affected.
Severity: Medium (CVSS 6.5)
Exploitation: no confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next confirms exploitation only from CISA KEV.
Vendor response: Vendor fix available; fixed versions by package: github.com/cli/cli/v2 2.63.0. A vendor fix does not mean a deployment is fixed.

## Affected components
- Go github.com/cli/cli/v2: affected <= 2.62.0; fixed in 2.63.0

## Suggested inspection (read-only)
- Go github.com/cli/cli/v2: check the installed version with your package manager.

## Supported action
Upgrade each affected component to a fixed version on its release line. For a transitive dependency, upgrade the parent package or add an override or constraint, then regenerate the lockfile. Redeploy every environment that ran an affected version.

## Required regression checks
- Run the test suite and a production build.
- Exercise the features that depend on github.com/cli/cli/v2.
- Repeat the inspection and confirm that only fixed versions remain installed.

## Rollback considerations
- Keep the previous lockfile and deployment artifact. Rolling back reinstates the vulnerable version, so apply any documented mitigation while you fix forward.

## Unresolved questions
- Which deployments run an affected version?
- Exploitation status can change. Check again before lowering the priority.
- Mark the work resolved only after the fixed version is verified in production.

## Sources
- Verified: https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-jwcm-9g39-pmcw (GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-jwcm-9g39-pmcw lists affected ranges: Go github.com/cli/cli/v2 >=0 <=2.62.0)

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