A privilege escalation vulnerability was identified in GitHub Enterprise Server that allowed an authenticated Enterprise admin to gain root SSH access to the appliance by exploiting a symlink escape in pre-receive hook environments. By crafting a malicious repository and environment, an attacker could replace system binaries during hook cleanup and execute a payload that adds their own SSH key to the root user’s authorized keys—thereby granting themselves root SSH access to the server. To exploit this vulnerability, the attacker needed to have enterprise admin privileges. This vulnerability affected all versions of GitHub Enterprise Server prior to 3.19, and was fixed in versions 3.14.20, 3.15.15, 3.16.11, 3.17.8, 3.18.2. This vulnerability was reported via the GitHub Bug Bounty program.
References
| Link | Resource |
|---|---|
| https://docs.github.com/en/enterprise-server@3.14/admin/release-notes#3.14.20 | Release Notes Vendor Advisory |
| https://docs.github.com/en/enterprise-server@3.15/admin/release-notes#3.15.15 | Release Notes Vendor Advisory |
| https://docs.github.com/en/enterprise-server@3.16/admin/release-notes#3.16.11 | Release Notes Vendor Advisory |
| https://docs.github.com/en/enterprise-server@3.17/admin/release-notes#3.17.8 | Release Notes Vendor Advisory |
| https://docs.github.com/en/enterprise-server@3.18/admin/release-notes#3.18.2 | Release Notes Vendor Advisory |
Configurations
Configuration 1 (hide)
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History
08 Dec 2025, 18:22
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| CVSS |
v2 : v3 : |
v2 : unknown
v3 : 7.2 |
| CPE | cpe:2.3:a:github:enterprise_server:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | |
| First Time |
Github
Github enterprise Server |
|
| References | () https://docs.github.com/en/enterprise-server@3.14/admin/release-notes#3.14.20 - Release Notes, Vendor Advisory | |
| References | () https://docs.github.com/en/enterprise-server@3.15/admin/release-notes#3.15.15 - Release Notes, Vendor Advisory | |
| References | () https://docs.github.com/en/enterprise-server@3.16/admin/release-notes#3.16.11 - Release Notes, Vendor Advisory | |
| References | () https://docs.github.com/en/enterprise-server@3.17/admin/release-notes#3.17.8 - Release Notes, Vendor Advisory | |
| References | () https://docs.github.com/en/enterprise-server@3.18/admin/release-notes#3.18.2 - Release Notes, Vendor Advisory |
02 Dec 2025, 21:15
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| Summary | (en) A privilege escalation vulnerability was identified in GitHub Enterprise Server that allowed an authenticated Enterprise admin to gain root SSH access to the appliance by exploiting a symlink escape in pre-receive hook environments. By crafting a malicious repository and environment, an attacker could replace system binaries during hook cleanup and execute a payload that adds their own SSH key to the root user’s authorized keys—thereby granting themselves root SSH access to the server. To exploit this vulnerability, the attacker needed to have enterprise admin privileges. This vulnerability affected all versions of GitHub Enterprise Server prior to 3.19, and was fixed in versions 3.14.20, 3.15.15, 3.16.11, 3.17.8, 3.18.2. This vulnerability was reported via the GitHub Bug Bounty program. | |
| References |
|
|
10 Nov 2025, 23:15
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| New CVE |
Information
Published : 2025-11-10 23:15
Updated : 2025-12-08 18:22
NVD link : CVE-2025-11578
Mitre link : CVE-2025-11578
CVE.ORG link : CVE-2025-11578
JSON object : View
Products Affected
github
- enterprise_server
CWE
CWE-59
Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following')