CVE-2026-53584: libgit2 Path Traversal

Vulnerability summary

CVE-2026-53584 is a medium (CVSS 4.3) Path Traversal vulnerability in libgit2. EPSS estimates a 0.33% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 24.5% of scored vulnerabilities.

Timeline

1. 20-08-2026
   PublishedVulnerability first disclosed.
2. 20-08-2026
   Last modifiedVulnerability information updated.

Description

libgit2 is a portable C implementation of the Git core methods provided as a linkable library with a solid API, allowing to build Git functionality into your application. Prior to 1.8.6 and 1.9.5, libgit2 does not reject traversal components in a submodule path loaded from .gitmodules. The affected src/libgit2/submodule.c paths include git_submodule_lookup and git_submodule_add_setup. A crafted repository can specify a path such as ../escape-target, and applications that initialize the submodule can create directories outside the repository working tree. This issue is fixed in versions 1.8.6 and 1.9.5.

• CWE-22Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')The product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory.