HOMEVULNERABILITIESCVE-2020-12279
CRITICAL

CVE-2020-12279

CWE-706Published: April 27, 2020· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

9.8
CVSS v3.1

Official 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.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2020-12279 can be exploited remotely over the network without requiring physical or adjacent access, significantly expanding the attack surface for threat actors.

The vulnerability requires no privileges and no user interaction, making it a prime target for automated exploitation campaigns and worm-like propagation.

A successful exploit results in complete confidentiality breach (data exposure), full integrity compromise (data manipulation), availability disruption (denial of service), with a CVSS base score of 9.8.

CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown

Exploitability
Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges Req.None
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
Impact
ConfidentialityHigh
IntegrityHigh
AvailabilityHigh
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Affected Vendors & Products

Debian1 product(s)
debian linux
libgit21 product(s)
libgit2
Source: NVD CPE · 2 total CPE entries

Exploit & PoC Resources

NO KNOWN EXPLOITNo public exploit confirmed at this time
Exploit-DB
Offensive Security exploit database
GitHub PoC Search
Community PoC repositories
Rapid7 / Metasploit
Metasploit module search
PacketStorm
Security advisories & exploits
NVD Detail
Official NIST entry
MITRE CVE
CVE Program entry
External links open in a new tab. Always verify in a controlled environment before use.

Official Patches & Advisories

PATCHhttps://github.com/git/git/security/advisories/GHSA-589j-mmg9-733v
PATCHhttps://github.com/libgit2/libgit2/commit/64c612cc3e25eff5fb02c59ef5a66ba7a14751e4
PATCHhttps://github.com/git/git/security/advisories/GHSA-589j-mmg9-733v
PATCHhttps://github.com/libgit2/libgit2/commit/64c612cc3e25eff5fb02c59ef5a66ba7a14751e4
ADVISORYhttps://github.com/libgit2/libgit2/releases/tag/v0.28.4
ADVISORYhttps://github.com/libgit2/libgit2/releases/tag/v0.99.0
ADVISORYhttps://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2022/03/msg00031.html
ADVISORYhttps://github.com/libgit2/libgit2/releases/tag/v0.28.4
ADVISORYhttps://github.com/libgit2/libgit2/releases/tag/v0.99.0
ADVISORYhttps://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2022/03/msg00031.html

All References (12)

→
https://github.com/git/git/security/advisories/GHSA-589j-mmg9-733vPatch · Third Party Advisory
→
https://github.com/libgit2/libgit2/commit/64c612cc3e25eff5fb02c59ef5a66ba7a14751e4Patch · Third Party Advisory
→
https://github.com/libgit2/libgit2/releases/tag/v0.28.4Release Notes · Third Party Advisory
→
https://github.com/libgit2/libgit2/releases/tag/v0.99.0Release Notes · Third Party Advisory
→
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2022/03/msg00031.htmlMailing List · Third Party Advisory
→
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2023/02/msg00034.html
→
https://github.com/git/git/security/advisories/GHSA-589j-mmg9-733vPatch · Third Party Advisory
→
https://github.com/libgit2/libgit2/commit/64c612cc3e25eff5fb02c59ef5a66ba7a14751e4Patch · Third Party Advisory
→
https://github.com/libgit2/libgit2/releases/tag/v0.28.4Release Notes · Third Party Advisory
→
https://github.com/libgit2/libgit2/releases/tag/v0.99.0Release Notes · Third Party Advisory
→
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2022/03/msg00031.htmlMailing List · Third Party Advisory
→
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2023/02/msg00034.html

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2020-12279
CVSS Score9.8 / 10
SeverityCRITICAL
WeaknessCWE-706
CISA KEVNo
Affected2 vendor(s)
PublishedApr 27, 2020

Related CVEs (CWE-706)

CVE-2024-35198
9.8
CVE-2019-7731
9.8
CVE-2020-12278
9.8
CVE-2020-10574
9.8
CVE-2022-30258
9.8
CVE-2019-8908
9.8

Recommended Actions

  • →Apply vendor patches immediately
  • →Monitor CVE-2020-12279 in threat intel feeds
  • →Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts
Data sourced from NVD (NIST), CISA KEV, and EPSS (FIRST). Analysis generated by CTIWATCH.COM. CVE data is provided under the NVD usage policy.
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