Git Security Update: Six Flaws Fixed in Git 2.56.1, Including Code Execution in Recursive Clones, and the Versions to Install

Git is the version control tool behind almost every software project, and on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, it received fixes for six security flaws. The most serious lets a booby-trapped repository run an attacker's code on a machine that clones it with submodules. That matters to any business whose developers, contractors or build servers pull code from sources the business does not control.

The fixes are in Git 2.56.1 and in matching updates for six older release lines. Below: what is confirmed, what is not, and what to check this week.

What happened with Git security this week

On November 10, 2026, GitHub published a post by Git developer Elijah Newren announcing the fixes. The same day, Git for Windows 2.56.1 was released and GitHub Enterprise Server 3.22.4 shipped with the updated Git. GitHub's security advisory for the most serious flaw, GHSA-vp2w-7xxj-jvxr, also carries the November 10 date.

The Git release notes list six CVEs. The fixed versions are 2.56.1, 2.55.1, 2.54.1, 2.53.1, 2.52.1, 2.51.3 and 2.50.2. The advisory lists the affected versions as "All".

The six Git vulnerabilities in plain English

CVE-2026-111760: code execution in recursive clones

This is the serious one. According to the release notes and the advisory, a repository hosted by an attacker can be crafted to exploit a bug in Git. Git can be fooled into replacing a gitfile, the pointer file that submodules use, with a symbolic link. That link points to a directory containing malicious config or hooks. Hooks are scripts Git runs automatically, so the attacker's code can run on your machine. The advisory says it currently believes the flaw is only triggered when --recurse-submodules is used.

CVE-2026-113408: path traversal through an advertised HEAD

The release notes say a server can advertise an unborn HEAD that contains path-traversal characters, for example refs/heads/../../../TARGET. With the files ref backend, later ref-updating actions can then write to unwanted files.

CVE-2026-114467: memory corruption from extra GPG signatures

The code Git uses to strip GPG signatures handled only two. A message with more than two signatures can cause stack memory corruption. The release notes say git merge with a crafted tag can trigger it, leading to denial of service.

CVE-2026-114469: oversized binary patches

Git's size check of roughly 1 GiB on patches looked at the compressed input, not the inflated size. A binary patch that expands to a very large size gets past the check and crashes Git.

CVE-2026-105437: heap corruption in very large merges

In very large merges with many conflicts and a large conflict-marker-size setting, the buffer size calculation can overflow. Git can then write outside the buffer's bounds.

CVE-2026-114466: file reads through fast-import

The fast-import features rewrite-submodules-from, rewrite-submodules-to and export-pack-edges allow reading from arbitrary paths. The release notes say they are now disallowed by default.

Claimed versus confirmed

• Confirmed: six CVEs, the seven fixed versions, the November 10 release, Git for Windows 2.56.1 and GitHub Enterprise Server 3.22.4. These come from the Git release notes, GitHub's post, the Git for Windows release page and GitHub's own release notes.
• Severity: news reports called the clone flaw "critical". GitHub's advisory rates it High, CVSS 8.0. Its scoring says the attack is hard to pull off and needs someone to take an action, such as cloning the repository.
• Attacks: none of the primary sources we read reports any of these flaws being used in real attacks. Whether anyone exploited them before the fix is not known.
• A mismatch to be aware of: when we checked the advisory on November 12, it still showed "None yet" under patched versions, even though the release notes and GitHub's post list fixed versions. Go by the release notes.
• Older versions: the Git project lists no fix for release lines older than 2.50.

Why this matters for a company network or website

Git is not only on developer laptops. It runs on build servers, CI/CD runners, container images, deployment scripts that pull code onto web servers, and self-hosted Git servers. Many of these clone code with nobody watching.

The clone flaw is a supply-chain risk. A developer or an automated pipeline clones a repository with submodules from somewhere outside the business: an open-source project, a contractor's repository, a sample project from a vendor. If that repository has been rigged, code runs with the permissions of whoever ran the clone. On a build server, that account often holds deploy keys, cloud credentials and tokens that reach production.

The merge and patch flaws mostly crash Git or corrupt memory. Even a crash can stall a pipeline that ships updates to your website or app.

What to do this week

Run git --version on each machine and compare the result with this table.

Work through this checklist:

• Windows laptops: install Git for Windows 2.56.1, released November 10.
• Mac and Linux machines: update Git through your package manager. Linux distributions sometimes fix flaws without changing to the upstream version number, so check your distribution's security notice for these CVE numbers.
• Build servers and CI runners: update the Git package on each runner, then rebuild any container images that bundle Git. An old image keeps an old Git until it is rebuilt.
• GitHub Enterprise Server: GitHub lists fixes in 3.19.15, 3.20.11, 3.21.9 and 3.22.4.
• Other self-hosted Git servers and tools that bundle Git: check whether the vendor has shipped an update with the fixed Git.
• Until everything is patched: GitHub's post advises cloning only from trusted servers and avoiding recursive clones of untrusted repositories. It also says these precautions do not replace installing the fixes.

If you run your own servers and are not sure where Git is installed, our self-hosting and infrastructure page covers how we look after that kind of setup.

Git security update questions people are asking

Is Git 2.56.1 a security update?

Yes. Its release notes list six CVEs, and it includes the same fixes as 2.55.1, 2.54.1, 2.53.1, 2.52.1, 2.51.3 and 2.50.2.

Which Git version fixes CVE-2026-111760?

Any of 2.56.1, 2.55.1, 2.54.1, 2.53.1, 2.52.1, 2.51.3 or 2.50.2. On Windows, that means Git for Windows 2.56.1.

How do I check my Git version?

Open a terminal or command prompt and type git --version. Do the same on each build server and inside each container image you use.

Is the Git vulnerability being exploited?

None of the primary sources reports attacks. That is not proof that no one has used it, so patch anyway.

Do I need to update if we never use submodules?

Yes. The clone flaw is tied to recursive clones, but the other five flaws involve servers, merges, patches and fast-import, and are not limited to submodules.

Is the Git clone flaw critical?

GitHub's advisory rates it High, with a CVSS score of 8.0, not Critical. It still allows code execution, so treat it as urgent on any machine that clones outside code.

The bigger lesson

Git is easy to forget because it rarely breaks. It sits quietly on laptops, build servers and container images, and each copy needs patching like any other software. Keep a list of everywhere it runs, and make sure updating your pipelines is someone's job, not an afterthought.

Want help finding and patching tools like this across your systems? See security hardening or request a quote.

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Sources: Git 2.50.2 release notes; Git 2.56.1 release notes; GitHub advisory GHSA-vp2w-7xxj-jvxr; GitHub Blog: Git security vulnerabilities announced; Git for Windows releases; GitHub Enterprise Server 3.22 release notes.