cbcvebase.
CVE-2020-27955
published 2021-01-15

CVE-2020-27955: Git LFS is a command line extension for managing large files with Git. On Windows, if Git LFS operates on a malicious repository with a git.bat or git.exe file…

critical9.8CVSS 3.1
AVNACLPRNUINSUCHIHAH
EXPLOIT
EPSS
82.72%
99.6th percentile
Git LFS is a command line extension for managing large files with Git. On Windows, if Git LFS operates on a malicious repository with a git.bat or git.exe file in the current directory, that program would be executed, permitting the attacker to execute arbitrary code. This does not affect Unix systems. This is the result of an incomplete fix for CVE-2020-27955. This issue occurs because on Windows, Go includes (and prefers) the current directory when the name of a command run does not contain a directory separator. Other than avoiding untrusted repositories or using a different operating system, there is no workaround. This is fixed in v2.13.2.

Affected

4 ranges
VendorProductVersion rangeFixed in
debiangit-lfs
git_large_file_storage_projectgit_large_file_storage< 2.13.22.13.2
github.comgit-lfs_git-lfs>= 0 < 2.12.12.12.1
github.comgit-lfs_git-lfs>= 0 < 2.13.22.13.2

Detection & IOCsextracted from sources · hover to see the quote

filenamegit.bat
filenamegit.exe
versionGit LFS 2.12.0
  • On Windows, detect presence of git.bat or git.exe in the current working directory when git-lfs is invoked — these files should not exist in a repository's working directory and their presence indicates a malicious repository exploit attempt.
  • On Windows, Go resolves commands without directory separators by searching the current directory first — monitor for child process spawning from git-lfs where the parent process path and the child executable path share the same working directory.
  • A Metasploit exploit module exists for this CVE targeting Windows HTTP attack surface — monitor for exploitation attempts via malicious repository cloning operations.
  • Victims are tricked into cloning a malicious repository — alert on git clone operations followed by unexpected execution of git.bat or git.exe from a non-standard path (e.g., repository working directory).
  • ·This vulnerability is Windows-only; Unix/Linux systems are not affected and do not require detection coverage for this specific attack vector.
  • ·CVE-2020-27955 had an incomplete fix; the bypass (CVE-2021-21237) persists until v2.13.2 — ensure detection and patching covers both CVEs and targets Git LFS versions up to and including 2.12.x.

CVSS provenance

nvdv3.19.8CRITICALCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
nvdv2.010.0CRITICALAV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C
ghsa9.8CRITICAL
osv9.8CRITICAL
vendor_debian9.8LOW
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