# CVE-2026-48501: GitHub CLI incorrect authorization header in attestation and release commands

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-48501-github-cli-incorrect-authorization-header-in-attestation-and  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-05-29. Updated: 2026-05-29  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-48501 · Severity: high · CVSS 7.4 · Published 2026-05-29

GitHub CLI is a command-line tool used by developers to interact with GitHub services. A security flaw in certain commands caused the tool to mistakenly send sensitive authentication tokens to external servers not controlled by GitHub. If these tokens were intercepted by the operators of those external sites, they could potentially be used to access private code repositories or organization data.

Technologies: [github.com/cli/cli (Go)](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/github-com-cli-cli), [github.com/cli/cli/v2 (Go)](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/github-com-cli-cli-v2). Vendors: [GitHub](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/github), [Go](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/go).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-48501 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-48501 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-48501?** High severity, with a CVSS score of 7.4, published 29 May 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** GitHub Cli/Cli <= 2.92.0; github.com/cli/cli (Go) SEMVER:introduced=0; github.com/cli/cli/v2 (Go) <= 2.92.0, SEMVER:introduced=0,fixed=2.93.0.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-48501?** Yes. github.com/cli/cli/v2 (Go): upgrade to 2.93.0 or later. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

**How is CVE-2026-48501 attacked?** It is attacked over the network, in a software library.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-48501?** Check whether you run GitHub Cli/Cli, github.com/cli/cli (Go) or github.com/cli/cli/v2 (Go) at an affected version. 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.

## How to fix

- github.com/cli/cli/v2 (Go): upgrade to 2.93.0 or later

  ```sh
  go get github.com/cli/cli/v2@v2.93.0
  ```


## Technical details

GitHub CLI (gh) versions prior to 2.93.0 contain an incorrect authorization vulnerability (CWE-863) within its shared HTTP client. The client's authentication layer uses flawed host normalization logic that collapses all *.github.com subdomains to github.com, causing it to send github.com tokens to non-API sites like tuf-repo.github.com (a GitHub Pages site). Additionally, for non-GitHub hosts, the resolver incorrectly falls back to sending GH_ENTERPRISE_TOKEN if configured. This occurs during the execution of 'gh attestation', 'gh release verify', and 'gh release verify-asset' commands, which fetch metadata from external mirrors and Azure Blob Storage. Attackers controlling these external endpoints could capture valid user tokens to gain unauthorized access to GitHub resources.

## Affected products

- GitHub GitHub CLI (gh) < 2.93.0

## Identifiers

- CVE-2026-48501
- GHSA-8xvp-7hj6-mcj9
- GO-2026-5271

## Timeline

- 2026-05-27: advisory: GitHub published a security advisory (GHSA-8xvp-7hj6-mcj9)
- 2026-05-29: disclosed: CVE-2026-48501 published to NVD

## References

- [https://github.com/cli/cli/security/advisories/GHSA-8xvp-7hj6-mcj9](https://github.com/cli/cli/security/advisories/GHSA-8xvp-7hj6-mcj9)

## Related threats

- [GitHub CLI attestation verification regex bypass](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-64655-github-cli-attestation-verification-regex-bypass)
- [GitHub CLI path traversal via unescaped URL components](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-64653-github-cli-path-traversal-via-unescaped-url-components)
- [GitHub CLI token masking bypass in auth status](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-64652-github-cli-token-masking-bypass-in-auth-status)
- [GitHub CLI terminal escape sequence injection in gh run view](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-45803-github-cli-terminal-escape-sequence-injection-in-gh-run-view)
- [`gh attestation verify` returns incorrect exit code during verification if no attestations are present](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2025-25204-gh-attestation-verify-returns-incorrect-exit-code-during)