CVE-2025-48384: Git link following vulnerability in submodule handling

CVE-2025-48384 · Severity: critical · CVSS 8 · Exploited in the wild · Published 2025-08-25

Git, a widely used version control system for software development, contains a vulnerability in how it handles submodules. An attacker could trick a user into checking out a malicious repository that executes unauthorized code on the user's computer. This could lead to a full system compromise, theft of source code, or unauthorized access to development environments.

Technologies: Git. Vendors: Git.

Quick answers

Is CVE-2025-48384 exploited in the wild?
Yes. CVE-2025-48384 is known to be exploited in the wild, first recorded on 25 August 2025. Treat it as urgent.
How severe is CVE-2025-48384?
Critical severity, with a CVSS score of 8, published 25 August 2025.
Which products and versions are affected?
Git-SCM Git < 2.43.7, 2.44.0 to < 2.44.4, 2.45.0 to < 2.45.4, 2.46.0 to < 2.46.4, 2.47.0 to < 2.47.3, 2.48.0 to < 2.48.2, 2.49.0 to < 2.49.1, 2.50.0 to < 2.50.1.
Is there a fix for CVE-2025-48384?
No fixed version is recorded yet. Check the vendor's advisory in the references below. If you run it, Junglewise drafts a mitigation that fits your setup and applies it once you approve, with senior security engineers behind it.
How is CVE-2025-48384 attacked?
It is attacked over the network, in a software library.
Am I affected by CVE-2025-48384?
Check whether you run Git. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

Technical details

A link following vulnerability (CWE-59) exists in Git due to an interpretation conflict (CWE-436) regarding carriage return (CR) characters in configuration files. When Git reads config values, it strips trailing CRLF, but when writing them, it fails to quote values with trailing CRs, causing the CR to be lost on subsequent reads. If a submodule path contains a trailing CR, Git may check out the submodule to an incorrect location. If an attacker places a symlink at that altered path pointing to the submodule's hooks directory, a malicious 'post-checkout' hook within the submodule can be executed automatically. This requires the victim to perform a checkout or clone operation on a specially crafted repository.

Affected products

  • Git-SCM Git < 2.43.7, 2.44.0 to < 2.44.4, 2.45.0 to < 2.45.4, 2.46.0 to < 2.46.4, 2.47.0 to < 2.47.3, 2.48.0 to < 2.48.2, 2.49.0 to < 2.49.1, 2.50.0 to < 2.50.1

Timeline

  • 2025-07-08: disclosed: Vulnerability reported by GitHub
  • 2025-08-25: kev added: Added to CISA KEV catalog due to active exploitation
  • 2025-08-25: advisory: NVD publication date

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