# CVE-2008-5517: Command injection in n/a

> Remote attackers can execute arbitrary commands on the server via shell metacharacters in the gitweb web interface.

- **Severity:** High 7.5 (`AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 13 Jan 2009
- **Updated:** 7 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-9mgx-58pm-mc68

## What is CVE-2008-5517?

CVE-2008-5517 is a high-severity command injection vulnerability in n/a, published on 13 Jan 2009. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

The web interface in git (gitweb) 1.5.x before 1.5.6 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands via shell metacharacters related to (1) git_snapshot and (2) git_object.

Weakness: CWE-94 (Improper Control of Generation of Code)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2008-5517?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Git Git.

## How do I fix CVE-2008-5517?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2008-5517 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2008-5517 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Public exploit code:

- gitWeb 1.5.2 - Remote Command Execution (exploitdb)

## Other vulnerabilities in n/a

- [CVE-2024-32002](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-32002/): Git's recursive clones on case-insensitive filesystems that support symlinks are susceptible to Remote Code Execution (critical 9.1)
- [CVE-2024-52005](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-52005/): The sideband payload is passed unfiltered to the terminal in git (high 7.5)
- [CVE-2008-3546](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2008-3546/): Memory corruption in n/a (high 7.5)
- [CVE-2006-0477](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2006-0477/): Memory corruption in n/a (high 7.5)
- [CVE-2009-2108](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2009-2108/): Denial of service in n/a (medium 5.0)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2008-5517 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2008-5517 is a high-severity command injection vulnerability in n/a, published on 13 Jan 2009. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2008-5517 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: n/a. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2008-5517/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2008-5517/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2008-5517
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2008-5517
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2008-5517

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2008-5517/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.