CVE-2025-61731 Arbitrary file write using cgo pkg-config directive in cmd/go
An attacker can write arbitrary files to the system by exploiting the cgo pkg-config directive in Go source code during the build process.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Any signed-in user
- Attackable
- Local or same network only
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2025-61731?
CVE-2025-61731 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in Golang Go, published on 28 Jan 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Official description
Building a malicious file with cmd/go can cause can cause a write to an attacker-controlled file with partial control of the file content. The "#cgo pkg-config:" directive in a Go source file provides command-line arguments to provide to the Go pkg-config command. An attacker can provide a "--log-file" argument to this directive, causing pkg-config to write to an attacker-controlled location.
Weakness: CWE-88
Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-61731?
2 open source packages ship an affected version, including golang and toolchain. It affects 1 product.
| Package | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
golang Bitnami | All versions | 1.24.12, 1.25.6 |
toolchain Go | All versions | 1.24.12, 1.25.6 |
Products include Golang Go.
How do I fix CVE-2025-61731?
Upgrade golang to a fixed version for your release line: 1.24.12 or 1.25.6.
Upgrade, and resolve every user-supplied path against an allowed base folder before opening it. More about Path traversal.
Is CVE-2025-61731 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-61731 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in Golang Go
- CVE-2020-0601 Microsoft Windows CryptoAPI Spoofing
- CVE-2026-27143 Missing bound checks can lead to memory corruption in safe Go in cmd/compile
- CVE-2024-24790 Unexpected behavior from Is methods for IPv4-mapped IPv6 addresses in net/netip
- CVE-2023-39320 Arbitrary code execution via go.mod toolchain directive in cmd/go
- CVE-2023-24540 Improper handling of JavaScript whitespace in html/template
Sources
Also known as AZL-78935, AZL-98568, BELL-CVE-2025-61731, BIT-golang-2025-61731, CLEANSTART-2026-IF00623, CLEANSTART-2026-KO65183 and 435 more.