Vulnerabilities

Vulnerability · CVE-2018-10857

git-annex private data exfiltration to compromised remote

Published Nov 14, 2025 · catalog updated Feb 4, 2026 · git-annex private data exfiltration

Check if you run it

No confirmed exploitation is on record for CVE-2018-10857. EPSS is 1.54%. Act only if a listed version of git-annex private data exfiltration is installed.

Severity

Unknown—

Known exploitation

Not in CISA/VulnCheck KEV

EPSS

1.54%

Remediation

Advisory link

Affected products

Hackage git-annex

# *git-annex* private data exfiltration to compromised remote Some uses of git-annex were vulnerable to a private data exposure and exfiltration attack. It could expose the content of files located outside the *git-annex* repository, or content from a private web server on localhost or the LAN. Joey Hess discovered this attack. To perform this attack, the attacker needs to have control over one of the remotes of the victim's *git-annex* repository. For example, they may provide a public *git-annex* repository that the victim clones. Or, equivalantly, the attacker could have read access to the victim's *git-annex* repository or a repository it pushes to, and some channel to get commits into it (e.g. pull requests). These exploits are most likely to succeed when the victim is running the assistant, or is periodically running . To perform the attack the attacker runs and commits this to the repository in some out of the way place. After the victim's git repository receives that change, follows the attacker-provided URL to the private data, which it stores in the *git-annex* repository. From there it transfers the content to the remote *git-annex* repository that the attacker has access to. As well as URLs, the attacker can use URLs to private web servers. The URL can also be one that the attacker controls, that redirects to a URL that is accessible to the victim system (and not necessarily the compromised remote). ## Fix The issue was fixed by making refuse to follow urls and URLs pointing to private/local IP addresses by default. Two new configuration settings, and , can relax this security policy, and are intended for cases where the *git-annex* repository is kept private and so the attack does not apply. ## Impact on external special remotes One variant of this issue can exploit a vulnerable external special remote, and could not be prevented by . ( 's own built-in special remotes are not vulnerable to this attack.) In this attack variant, the attacker guesses the h