CVE-2026-5917 libgit2 Shell Command Injection via ssh_libssh2 Backend
Remote attackers can execute arbitrary commands on SSH servers via malicious repository paths in libgit2 when using the libssh2 backend.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Not needed
- Attackable
- Over the internet
- Victim action needed
- A user has to click or open something
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2026-5917?
CVE-2026-5917 is a high-severity command injection vulnerability in libgit2, published on 11 Aug 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Official description
libgit2 versions before 1.8.7 and 1.9.0 before 1.9.7 built with the libssh2 SSH backend (USE_SSH=libssh2) contain a shell command injection vulnerability that allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands on an SSH server by supplying a repository path containing unescaped shell metacharacters such as single quotes, semicolons, or pipes. The gen_proto() function in ssh_libssh2.c inserts the repository path directly into a shell command string without escaping special characters before passing it to libssh2_channel_exec(), enabling an attacker to craft a malicious submodule URL in a .gitmodules file that, when processed during a recursive clone, causes the remote server's shell to interpret injected commands under the victim's SSH user account.
Weakness: CWE-78
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-5917?
Linux distribution packages (1)
libgit2 openSUSE:Tumbleweed | All versions | 1.9.7-1.1 |
How do I fix CVE-2026-5917?
Upgrade to a fixed version.
Upgrade, and pass arguments to programs as a list instead of through a shell. More about Command injection.
Is CVE-2026-5917 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-5917 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Sources
Also known as BELL-CVE-2026-5917, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-5917, ECHO-25c0-43ef-f653, GHSA-3gwr-xcwq-7892, GHSA-xqj4-2j5v-rr75, JLSEC-2026-1275 and 6 more.