Summary
Affected versions
Users running versions of go-git from v4 and above are recommended to upgrade to v5.13 in order to mitigate this vulnerability.
Workarounds
In cases where a bump to the latest version of go-git is not possible, we recommend users to enforce restrict validation rules for values passed in the URL field.
Credit
Thanks to @vin01 for responsibly disclosing this vulnerability to us.
Impact
An argument injection vulnerability was discovered in go-git versions prior to v5.13.
Successful exploitation of this vulnerability could allow an attacker to set arbitrary values to git-upload-pack flags. This only happens when the file transport protocol is being used, as that is the only protocol that shells out to git binaries.
CVE-2025-21613 has a CVSS score of 9.8 (Critical). The vector is network-reachable, no privileges required, and no user interaction. 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 (5.13.0); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
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. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
Remediation advice
Kodem Kai can prioritize this vulnerability in your dependency tree and generate a fix recommendation.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2025-21613? CVE-2025-21613 is a critical-severity security vulnerability in gopkg.in/src-d/go-git.v4 (go), affecting versions >= 4.0.0, <= 4.13.1. It is fixed in 5.13.0.
- How severe is CVE-2025-21613? CVE-2025-21613 has a CVSS score of 9.8 (Critical). 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.
- Which packages are affected by CVE-2025-21613?
gopkg.in/src-d/go-git.v4(go) (versions >= 4.0.0, <= 4.13.1)github.com/go-git/go-git/v5(go) (versions < 5.13.0)
- Is there a fix for CVE-2025-21613? Yes. CVE-2025-21613 is fixed in 5.13.0. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2025-21613 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2025-21613 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
- What actually determines whether CVE-2025-21613 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.
- How do I fix CVE-2025-21613? Upgrade
github.com/go-git/go-git/v5to 5.13.0 or later.