How severe is CVE-2020-12279?

CVE-2020-12279 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-2020-12279 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 5% (91st percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2020-12279?

CVE-2020-12279 primarily affects Libgit2. In total, 2 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2020-12279?

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-2020-12279 published?

CVE-2020-12279 was published on 2020-04-27 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2020-12279

CVE-2020-12279 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Libgit2 with a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-706.

Key facts

Severity: Critical (CVSS 3.x base score 9.8)
CVSS v2: 7.5
EPSS exploit prediction: 5% (91st percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-706
Affected product: Libgit2
Published: 2020-04-27
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

An issue was discovered in libgit2 before 0.28.4 and 0.9x before 0.99.0. checkout.c mishandles equivalent filenames that exist because of NTFS short names. This may allow remote code execution when cloning a repository. This issue is similar to CVE-2019-1353.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2020-12279?: An issue was discovered in libgit2 before 0.28.4 and 0.9x before 0.99.0. checkout.c mishandles equivalent filenames that exist because of NTFS short names. This may allow remote code execution when cloning a repository. This issue is similar to CVE-2019-1353.
How severe is CVE-2020-12279?: CVE-2020-12279 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-2020-12279 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 5% (91st percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2020-12279?: CVE-2020-12279 primarily affects Libgit2. In total, 2 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2020-12279?: 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-2020-12279 published?: CVE-2020-12279 was published on 2020-04-27 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (2)

cpe:2.3:a:libgit2:libgit2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:9.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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CVE-2020-12278 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): An issue was discovered in libgit2 before 0.28.4 and 0.9x before 0.99.0. path.c mishandles equivalent filenames that…
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