GitPython: Arbitrary file read via --pathspec-from-file in IndexFile.remove() and Head.checkout()

Exploitation

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

CVSS

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

EPSS

• CVE-2026-76217: 0.41% estimated exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 35.50 (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 IndexFile.remove() and Head.checkout() forward kwargs into git rm and git checkout with no guard. Passing --pathspec-from-file=<file together with --pathspec-file-nul makes Git treat the whole file as a single NUL-delimited pathspec, and the unmatched-pathspec error quotes it verbatim. GitPython surfaces that through GitCommandError.stderr, so the entire contents of a caller-chosen file are returned to the caller in band. This is the same primitive as Instance 2 of GHSA-3f7w-8rr8-f37f - TagReference.create() with -F, arbitrary file read returned in band - at two sites that advisory assessed and cleared. Prior art, and why I am filing rather than commenting GHSA-3f7w-8rr8-f37f's sweep table lists these four sites with the assessment "--pathspec-from-file only reads a pathspec; no write or disclosure primitive found": | Call site | git command | that advisory's assessment | |---|---|---| | IndexFile.remove() | rm | --pathspec-from-file only reads a pathspec; no write or…

Published by the source

7 Aug 2026, 15:43 UTC

Last modified by the source

8 Sep 2026, 20:53 UTC

Source last checked

26 Oct 2026, 13:51 UTC

1. Revision 1 · created · 26 Oct 2026

   Published from ghsa record GHSA-hh9p-6wh2-4mfc

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# Patch Next advisory brief: CVE-2026-76217

Advisory: GitPython: Arbitrary file read via --pathspec-from-file in IndexFile.remove() and Head.checkout()
IDs: CVE-2026-76217, GHSA-hh9p-6wh2-4mfc
Record: https://patchnext.com/advisories/cve-2026-76217 (revision 1, source checked 26 Oct 2026, 13:51 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: gitpython 3.1.58. A vendor fix does not mean a deployment is fixed.

## Affected components
- PyPI gitpython: affected <= 3.1.57; fixed in 3.1.58

## Suggested inspection (read-only)
- `python -m pip show gitpython`: prints the installed version. Run with the environment that serves production active.

## 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 gitpython.
- 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-hh9p-6wh2-4mfc (GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-hh9p-6wh2-4mfc lists affected ranges: PyPI gitpython >=0 <=3.1.57)

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