CVE-2025-11578: enterprise server — Fix

Description

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.

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CVSS v3.1 Score

7.2

HIGH

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Weakness Type (CWE)

CWE-59 CWE-59

Affected Products

Vendor	Product	Versions
github	enterprise_server	3.14.0 — 3.14.20
github	enterprise_server	3.15.0 — 3.15.15
github	enterprise_server	3.16.0 — 3.16.11
github	enterprise_server	3.17.0 — 3.17.8
github	enterprise_server	3.18.0 — 3.18.2

References

Advisories & Patches

https://docs.github.com/en/[email protected]/admin/release-notes#3.14.20 https://docs.github.com/en/[email protected]/admin/release-notes#3.15.15 https://docs.github.com/en/[email protected]/admin/release-notes#3.16.11 https://docs.github.com/en/[email protected]/admin/release-notes#3.17.8 https://docs.github.com/en/[email protected]/admin/release-notes#3.18.2

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2025-11578? +

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. It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.2 (HIGH).

How severe is CVE-2025-11578? +

CVE-2025-11578 has a CVSS v3.1 score of 7.2 out of 10, rated HIGH. This is a high-severity vulnerability that should be prioritized for patching.

What products are affected by CVE-2025-11578? +

CVE-2025-11578 affects products from github, specifically: enterprise_server. Check the affected products table above for specific version ranges.

How do I check if I'm vulnerable to CVE-2025-11578? +

You can use Secably's free Website Scanner to check your website for known vulnerabilities. For infrastructure scanning, use the Port Scanner to identify exposed services that may be affected. Check the vendor advisories linked above for specific patch and version information.

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