Summary
GitHub CLI allows path traversal through unescaped request URL components
A path traversal vulnerability has been identified in the GitHub CLI where some HTTP request URLs, REST API calls in particular, were built without properly escaping their variable path components. A value containing URL path metacharacters can alter the request path and cause gh to address a different resource than intended.
Details
Not all request URLs in the codebase were built with proper escaping of their variable path components. When a component is interpolated into the path without percent encoding, and that component contains URL path metacharacters, it breaks out of its intended segment and changes the effective request path.
In 2.97.0, request URLs are constructed in a safe manner, so a variable component can no longer escape its intended segment.
Remediation and Mitigation
- Upgrade
ghto2.97.0. - Be cautious when running
ghagainst untrusted repositories or inputs whose names you do not control.
Impact
An attacker who can control a value that flows into a request path can cause gh to send the request to a different API endpoint than intended. This can lead the CLI to read or act on a resource other than the one the user meant to target.
Input manipulates file paths to reach files outside the intended directory, such as configuration or credential files. Typical impact: unauthorized file read or write outside the intended directory.
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.
Already deployed Kodem?
See it in your environmentNew to Kodem? Get a demo →Remediation advice
Kodem Kai can prioritize this vulnerability in your dependency tree and generate a fix recommendation.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2026-64653? CVE-2026-64653 is a low-severity path traversal vulnerability in github.com/cli/cli/v2 (go), affecting versions < 2.97.0. It is fixed in 2.97.0. Input manipulates file paths to reach files outside the intended directory, such as configuration or credential files.
- Which versions of github.com/cli/cli/v2 are affected by CVE-2026-64653? github.com/cli/cli/v2 (go) versions < 2.97.0 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2026-64653? Yes. CVE-2026-64653 is fixed in 2.97.0. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2026-64653 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2026-64653 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-2026-64653 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-2026-64653? Upgrade
github.com/cli/cli/v2to 2.97.0 or later.