CVE-2026-40034
Command Injection in gix-submodule
Publication date: 2026-05-26
Last updated on: 2026-05-26
Assigner: VulnCheck
Description
Description
CVSS Scores
EPSS Scores
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Meta Information
Affected Vendors & Products
| Vendor | Product | Version / Range |
|---|---|---|
| gitoxide | gitoxide | to 0.82.0 (exc) |
| gitoxide | gix_submodule | to 0.82.0 (exc) |
Helpful Resources
Exploitability
| CWE ID | Description |
|---|---|
| CWE-77 | The product constructs all or part of a command using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended command when it is sent to a downstream component. |
Attack-Flow Graph
AI Powered Q&A
Can you explain this vulnerability to me?
CVE-2026-40034 is a vulnerability in the gix-submodule component of the Gitoxide project that allows attackers to bypass a security check designed to prevent malicious shell commands from being executed via the .gitmodules file.
The issue arises because the update field in .gitmodules is incorrectly validated. When a submodule is initialized with only partial configuration in .git/config, the security check mistakenly trusts the existence of any section with the submodule name rather than verifying the source of the update value itself.
An attacker can exploit this by injecting arbitrary shell commands via the update field in .gitmodules. These commands are executed when the Submodule::update() function is called on a previously-initialized submodule, enabling remote code execution.
This vulnerability affects versions of gix-submodule before 0.82.0, and a patch is available in version 0.82.0 and later.
How can this vulnerability impact me? :
This vulnerability can have serious impacts as it enables remote code execution through maliciously crafted .gitmodules files.
An attacker who can supply or influence the .gitmodules file in a repository can inject arbitrary shell commands that will be executed when Submodule::update() is called.
This can lead to compromise of the system running the update, potentially affecting confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the system and its data.
Third-party tools, IDE plugins, or CI integrations that use the public Submodule::update() API are particularly at risk if they process untrusted repositories.
How can this vulnerability be detected on my network or system? Can you suggest some commands?
This vulnerability involves malicious shell commands injected via the update field in the .gitmodules file of a gitoxide submodule initialized with partial configuration. Detection involves inspecting .gitmodules files for suspicious update entries that start with an exclamation mark (!) indicating shell command execution.
You can check for potentially malicious update fields in your git repositories by running commands that search for such entries in .gitmodules files, for example:
- grep -r '^\s*update\s*=\s*!' .gitmodules
- find . -name '.gitmodules' -exec grep -H '^\s*update\s*=\s*!' {} \;
Additionally, verify if submodules have partial configurations in .git/config that might allow fallback to the malicious .gitmodules update field.
What immediate steps should I take to mitigate this vulnerability?
The primary mitigation step is to update gitoxide and the gix-submodule component to version 0.82.0 or later, where the vulnerability has been patched.
Until the update can be applied, avoid using untrusted or malicious git repositories as submodules, especially those that might contain manipulated .gitmodules files.
Review and sanitize .gitmodules files in your projects to ensure no update fields contain shell commands (entries starting with '!').
Be cautious with third-party tools, IDE plugins, or CI integrations that invoke Submodule::update() API, as they might be susceptible to this vulnerability.