How severe is CVE-2018-17456?

CVE-2018-17456 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2018-17456 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 97% (100th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2018-17456?

CVE-2018-17456 primarily affects Git-scm Git. In total, 19 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2018-17456?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

When was CVE-2018-17456 published?

CVE-2018-17456 was published on 2018-10-06 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2018-17456

CVE-2018-17456 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Git-scm Git with a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score of 97% places it in the 100th percentile, indicating an elevated likelihood of exploitation. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-88.

Key facts

Severity: Critical (CVSS 3.x base score 9.8)
CVSS v2: 7.5
EPSS exploit prediction: 97% (100th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-88
Affected product: Git-scm Git
Published: 2018-10-06
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

Git before 2.14.5, 2.15.x before 2.15.3, 2.16.x before 2.16.5, 2.17.x before 2.17.2, 2.18.x before 2.18.1, and 2.19.x before 2.19.1 allows remote code execution during processing of a recursive "git clone" of a superproject if a .gitmodules file has a URL field beginning with a '-' character.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2018-17456?: Git before 2.14.5, 2.15.x before 2.15.3, 2.16.x before 2.16.5, 2.17.x before 2.17.2, 2.18.x before 2.18.1, and 2.19.x before 2.19.1 allows remote code execution during processing of a recursive "git clone" of a superproject if a .gitmodules file has a URL field beginning with a '-' character.
How severe is CVE-2018-17456?: CVE-2018-17456 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2018-17456 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 97% (100th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2018-17456?: CVE-2018-17456 primarily affects Git-scm Git. In total, 19 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2018-17456?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2018-17456 published?: CVE-2018-17456 was published on 2018-10-06 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (19)

cpe:2.3:a:git-scm:git:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:redhat:ansible_tower:3.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux:6.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux:6.7:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux:7.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux:7.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux:7.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux:7.5:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux:7.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_desktop:7.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_server:7.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_server_aus:7.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_server_eus:7.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_server_tus:7.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_workstation:7.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:14.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:16.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:18.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:9.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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