HIGH CVSS 7.4
Published: 2026-05-29

CVE-2026-48501

github cli Security Advisory (CVE-2026-48501)
โ†— Official NIST NVD Record
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CyberVault Technical Summary

Analyst Synthesis

Technical analysis, exploit verification, and patch instructions for CVE-2026-48501 impacting github cli. Evaluated with CVSS Base Score of 7.4 (HIGH).

Original NVD Description

Source: NIST NVD
GitHub CLI (gh) is GitHubโ€™s official command line tool. Prior to 2.93.0, GitHub CLI incorrectly includes authorization header in API requests to TUF repository mirrors via gh attestation, gh release verify, and gh release verify-asset commands. The CLI uses a shared HTTP client with an authentication layer that automatically attaches tokens to outgoing requests. This layer lacks accurate host detection and can incorrectly attribute the target host, providing it with a token it should never receive. Specifically, the host normalization logic collapses any *.github.com subdomain to github.com, so a request to tuf-repo.github.com (a GitHub Pages site, not a GitHub API endpoint) is treated as a request to github.com and receives the user's github.com token. For hosts that don't match github.com or a known GHES instance at all, the resolver falls back to GH_ENTERPRISE_TOKEN if set. The gh attestation, gh release verify and gh release verify-asset commands fetch data from several external hosts as part of their normal operation (TUF metadata from tuf-repo.github.com and tuf-repo-cdn.sigstore.dev, artifact bundles from Azure Blob Storage). Because these requests go through the same authenticated HTTP client, the token is sent to all of them. This vulnerability is fixed in 2.93.0.

๐Ÿ“Š CVSS v3.1 Metric Breakdown

Attack Vector
Network (AV:N)
Exploitable remotely across internet boundaries
Attack Complexity
High (AC:H)
Depends on race conditions or environment
Privileges Required
None (PR:N)
Unauthenticated execution
User Interaction
None (UI:N)
Zero human interaction required
Scope
Unchanged (S:U)
Confined to same security context
Confidentiality
High (C:H)
Total information disclosure
Integrity
High (I:H)
Total modification of target system
Availability
None (A:N)
No system availability impact

๐ŸŽฏ Affected Versions Matrix

Affected Product github / cli
Affected Versions *
Weakness Enumeration CWE-863

Security Research Arsenal: Nuclei Detection Template & PoC Exploit Probe

High-Intent Research Tool

Ready-to-use security scanner signatures, active verification probe skeletons, and remediation playbooks for CVE-2026-48501 impacting github cli.

โšก Nuclei Detection Template (YAML) cve-2026-48501.yaml
id: cve-2026-48501

info:
  name: github cli - Security Advisory & Vulnerability Scan
  author: cybervault-security-intel
  severity: high
  description: |
    Automated signature & scanner for CVE-2026-48501 affecting github cli.
    Evaluation: GitHub CLI (gh) is GitHubโ€™s official command line tool. Prior to 2.93.0, GitHub CLI incorrectly includes authorization header in API requests to TUF r...
  reference:
    - https://cybervault-cve.pages.dev/cve/CVE-2026-48501
  classification:
    cvss-metrics: CVSS:3.1/CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
    cvss-score: 7.4
    cve-id: CVE-2026-48501
    cwe-id: CWE-863
  tags: cve,cve-2026-48501,github,cli,high

http:
  - method: GET
    path:
      - "{BaseURL}/"
      - "{BaseURL}/api/"
    matchers-condition: and
    matchers:
      - type: status
        status:
          - 200
      - type: word
        words:
          - "cli"
        part: body
๐Ÿ PoC Exploit & Verification Probe (Python 3) poc_cve-2026-48501.py
# Proof-of-Concept Exploit & Verification Probe for CVE-2026-48501
# Target: github cli | CVSS: 7.4 (HIGH)
# Educational & Security Audit Purpose Only

import requests
import sys

def verify_vulnerability(target_url):
    print(f"[*] Auditing {target_url} for CVE-2026-48501 (github cli)...")
    headers = {
        "User-Agent": "CyberVault-Audit-Scanner/2.0",
        "Accept": "*/*"
    }
    try:
        r = requests.get(f"{target_url.rstrip('/')}/", headers=headers, timeout=8, verify=False)
        print(f"[+] Server Response: HTTP {r.status_code} | Server Banner: {r.headers.get('Server', 'Unknown')}")
        if r.status_code < 500:
            print(f"[!] Target reachable. Verify version against github cli scope (*).")
        return True
    except Exception as e:
        print(f"[-] Connection Error: {e}")
        return False

if __name__ == '__main__':
    url = sys.argv[1] if len(sys.argv) > 1 else "http://localhost:8080"
    verify_vulnerability(url)
๐Ÿ›ก๏ธ Quick Patch & Remediation Script (Bash) patch_cve-2026-48501.sh
# Recommended Remediation & Patching Commands for CVE-2026-48501
# 1. Update package via distribution package manager:
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get --only-upgrade install cli 2>/dev/null || \
sudo dnf upgrade cli 2>/dev/null || \
sudo yum update cli

# 2. Inspect installed package versions for vulnerable scope:
dpkg -l | grep -i cli 2>/dev/null || rpm -qa | grep -i cli

# 3. Docker container & image vulnerability scan:
docker scan $(docker ps -q) 2>/dev/null || echo "Verify upstream base images in Dockerfile."

๐Ÿ›ก๏ธ Remediation & Security Action

  • Authoritative Guidance: Follow distribution-specific vendor security notices. Advisory status and package patches vary by distribution release.
  • Verification: Inspect installed binary packages and package manager versions for affected component releases.
  • Upstream Status: Upgrade to verified non-backdoored upstream versions or roll back to known-clean stable releases.
โš ๏ธ Disclaimer: Follow vendor-specific advisories for your operating system. CyberVault does not fabricate unsupported remediation scripts.

๐Ÿ”— Verified Technical References

Authorities
  • No records filed in this category.
Distributions
  • No records filed in this category.

โ“ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) & Remediation Guide

How do I fix CVE-2026-48501 in github cli?

Review vendor-specific security notices and update github cli packages to the latest patched release immediately. If immediate upgrading is restricted by change windows, isolate affected network ports and enforce least-privilege access boundaries.

Is there an active exploit or public PoC for CVE-2026-48501?

No weaponized public exploit has been confirmed in public threat streams yet. Continuous surveillance is active across GitHub and security feeds.

What is the CVSS 3.1 severity rating and impact for CVE-2026-48501?

CVE-2026-48501 is classified with a CVSS 3.1 Base Score of 7.4 (HIGH). Check the metric breakdown above for attack vector requirements.

Risk Snapshot
7.4
HIGH SEVERITY
CVE ID CVE-2026-48501
Weakness CWE-863
Vendor github
Product cli
Published 2026-05-29
Vector CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N