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CVE-2026-44471

Gitoxidelabs Gix-fs vulnerability

7.8 HIGHPublic exploitEPSS 0.21%
  1. Published13 May 2026

Description

gitoxide is an implementation of git written in Rust. Prior to 0.21.1, a malicious tree can be constructed that will, when checked out with gitoxide, permit writing an attacker-controlled symlink into any existing directory the user has write access to. During checkout, all symlink index entries are deferred and created after regular files using a single shared gix_worktree::Stack. Internally, this uses a gix_fs::Stack. gix_fs::Stack::make_relative_path_current() caches validated path prefixes: when the previously-processed leaf component exactly matches the leading component(s) of the next path, the leaf-to-directory transition at gix-fs/src/stack.rs invokes only delegate.push_directory(), never delegate.push(). In gix_worktree::stack::delegate::StackDelegate, when the state member is State::CreateDirectoryAndAttributesStack, Attributes::push_directory() only loads attributes (from the ODB, in the clone case), and does not perform any other checks. The on-disk symlink_metadata() check and unlink-on-collision live in StackDelegate::push()'s invocation of create_leading_directory(), which is therefore bypassed for the cached prefix. The final symlink is created with plain std::os::unix::fs::symlink, which follows symlinks in parent directories. Therefore, it's possible to provide a tree with duplicate symlink and directory entries that exploits this. This vulnerability is fixed in 0.21.1.

CVSS 3.1 breakdown

Attack vectorLocal
Attack complexityLow
Privileges requiredNone
User interactionRequired
ScopeUnchanged
ConfidentialityHigh
IntegrityHigh
AvailabilityHigh
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Affected products

Gitoxidelabs Gix-fs< 0.21.1

Remediation

Fixed in
Gitoxidelabs Gix-fs≥ 0.21.1

Frequently asked

Is CVE-2026-44471 being actively exploited?

CVE-2026-44471 is not in the CISA KEV catalog. A public exploit reference exists, so treat it as exploitable. Its EPSS exploit probability is 0.21%.

How severe is CVE-2026-44471?

CVE-2026-44471 has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.8, rated high. EPSS estimates a 0.21% probability of exploitation.

Which products are affected by CVE-2026-44471?

Affected products include Gitoxidelabs Gix-fs.

How do I fix CVE-2026-44471?

Upgrade affected software to a fixed version, for example Gitoxidelabs Gix-fs 0.21.1 or later, then confirm no affected versions remain in your inventory.

How Secuno handles this

Secuno correlates vulnerabilities like CVE-2026-44471 against the real software inventory on every managed device, every day. Rather than a static severity, each match is scored in context: exploit availability, EPSS, the asset's exposure, and business criticality decide where it lands in the queue. If an affected version is present anywhere across your portfolio, it surfaces automatically with a prioritised remediation path.

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Data from the NVD, CISA KEV catalog and FIRST EPSS. CVSS 3.1 base score shown where available.