CVE-2025-27613
Description
A vulnerability has been identified in the gitk application that could lead to unauthorized file modification or data loss.
This flaw manifests in two primary scenarios:
- Untrusted Repository Cloning: When a user is tricked into cloning an untrusted Git repository and then uses gitk to visualize it without any additional parameters, any writable file on the user's system can be arbitrarily created or truncated. Exploitation via this method also requires the Support per-file encoding option to be explicitly enabled in Gitk's preferences, which is not the default setting.
- 'Show origin of this line' Command: The vulnerability can also be triggered if a user employs the Show origin of this line command within gitk's main window while viewing a malicious repository. This method does not depend on the Support per-file encoding option being enabled.
The primary risk is unauthorized file system modification, which could lead to data integrity issues, data loss, or potentially open avenues for further system compromise.
Statement
The Red Hat Product Security team rated this vulnerability as having a Moderate security impact. Exploitation depends on a non-default option being enabled and the user being tricked into cloning the untrusted repository or using the "Show origin of this line" command in the main window.
Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) Score Details
Info alert:Important note
CVSS scores for open source components depend on vendor-specific factors (e.g. version or build chain). Therefore, Red Hat's score and impact rating can be different from NVD and other vendors. Red Hat remains the authoritative CVE Naming Authority (CNA) source for its products and services (see Red Hat classifications).
CVSS v3 Score Breakdown
| Red Hat | NVD | cve.org | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Score | 4.3 | N/A | 3.6 |
| Attack Vector | Network | N/A | Local |
| Attack Complexity | Low | N/A | Low |
| Privileges Required | None | N/A | None |
| User Interaction | Required | N/A | Required |
| Scope | Unchanged | N/A | Changed |
| Confidentiality | None | N/A | None |
| Integrity Impact | Low | N/A | Low |
| Availability Impact | None | N/A | None |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N
cve.org: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:N/I:L/A:N
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Integrity,Confidentiality
Technical Impact: Read Files or Directories; Modify Files or Directories
The application can operate on unexpected files. Confidentiality is violated when the targeted filename is not directly readable by the attacker.
Integrity,Confidentiality,Availability
Technical Impact: Modify Files or Directories; Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands
The application can operate on unexpected files. This may violate integrity if the filename is written to, or if the filename is for a program or other form of executable code.
Availability
Technical Impact: DoS: Crash, Exit, or Restart; DoS: Resource Consumption (Other)
The application can operate on unexpected files. Availability can be violated if the attacker specifies an unexpected file that the application modifies. Availability can also be affected if the attacker specifies a filename for a large file, or points to a special device or a file that does not have the format that the application expects.
Frequently Asked Questions
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