CVE-2024-53858

A security vulnerability has been identified in the GitHub CLI that could leak authentication tokens when cloning repositories containing git submodules hosted outside of GitHub.com and ghe.com.

Details

This vulnerability stems from several gh commands used to clone a repository with submodules from a non-GitHub host including gh repo clone, gh repo fork, gh pr checkout. These GitHub CLI commands invoke git with instructions to retrieve authentication tokens using the credential.helper configuration variable for any host encountered.

Prior to 2.63.0, hosts other than GitHub.com and ghe.com are treated as GitHub Enterprise Server hosts and have tokens sourced from the following environment variables before falling back to host-specific tokens stored within system-specific secured storage:

• GITHUB_ENTERPRISE_TOKEN
• GH_ENTERPRISE_TOKEN
• GITHUB_TOKEN when CODESPACES environment variable is set

The result being git sending authentication tokens when cloning submodules.

In 2.63.0, these GitHub CLI commands will limit the hosts for which gh acts as a credential helper to source authentication tokens. Additionally, GITHUB_TOKEN will only be used for GitHub.com and ghe.com.

Remediation and mitigation

1. Upgrade gh to 2.63.0
2. Revoke authentication tokens used with the GitHub CLI:
   • Personal access tokens
   • GitHub CLI OAuth app
3. Review your personal security log and any relevant audit logs for actions associated with your account or enterprise

Successful exploitation could lead to a third-party using leaked authentication tokens to access privileged resources.

CVE-2024-53858 has a CVSS score of 6.5 (Medium). The vector is requires local access, no privileges required, and user interaction required. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (2.63.0); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Kodem intelligence

1. What is CVE-2024-53858? CVE-2024-53858 is a medium-severity security vulnerability in github.com/cli/cli/v2 (go), affecting versions <= 2.62.0. It is fixed in 2.63.0.
2. How severe is CVE-2024-53858? CVE-2024-53858 has a CVSS score of 6.5 (Medium). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
3. Which versions of github.com/cli/cli/v2 are affected by CVE-2024-53858? github.com/cli/cli/v2 (go) versions <= 2.62.0 is affected.
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2024-53858? Yes. CVE-2024-53858 is fixed in 2.63.0. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is CVE-2024-53858 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2024-53858 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
6. What actually determines whether CVE-2024-53858 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
7. How do I fix CVE-2024-53858? Upgrade github.com/cli/cli/v2 to 2.63.0 or later.