CVE-2018-16873
In Go before 1.10.6 and 1.11.x before 1.11.3, the "go get" command is vulnerable to remote code execution when executed with the -u flag…
- 7.5HighCVSS base score
- 66.3%Exploitation in 30 daysEPSS · top 0.7% of all CVEs
- NoKnown exploitednot in CISA's KEV catalog
- NonePublic exploitsnone known yet
Description
In Go before 1.10.6 and 1.11.x before 1.11.3, the "go get" command is vulnerable to remote code execution when executed with the -u flag and the import path of a malicious Go package, or a package that imports it directly or indirectly. Specifically, it is only vulnerable in GOPATH mode, but not in module mode (the distinction is documented at https://golang.org/cmd/go/#hdr-Module_aware_go_get). Using custom domains, it's possible to arrange things so that a Git repository is cloned to a folder named ".git" by using a vanity import path that ends with "/.git". If the Git repository root contains a "HEAD" file, a "config" file, an "objects" directory, a "refs" directory, with some work to ensure the proper ordering of operations, "go get -u" can be tricked into considering the parent directory as a repository root, and running Git commands on it. That will use the "config" file in the original Git repository root for its configuration, and if that config file contains malicious commands, they will execute on the system running "go get -u".
Timeline
ID reserved
By redhat
- 3 months later
· 3 months later
Published
- 6 years later
· 6 years later
Record updated
Changes after publication (a new score, a public exploit, EPSS crossing 1, 10 or 50 %, leaving KEV) are kept since November 2026; earlier ones are not known.
Scores
| Scored by | CVSS | Score | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|
| redhatCNA (assigner) | 3.0 | High7.5 | CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
| NVDNVD · Modified | 3.1 | High8.1 | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
- EPSS (exploitation in 30 days)
- 66.3% · top 0.7% of all CVEs (10 Nov 2026)
The list uses the assigner's score when there is one, then CISA's, then NVD's: High 7.5.
Affected products
References
12
- 106226 (opens in a new tab)vdb-entryx_refsource_BIDx_transferred
- GLSA-201812-09 (opens in a new tab)vendor-advisoryx_refsource_GENTOOx_transferred
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=CVE-2018-16873 (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_CONFIRMx_transferred
- https://groups.google.com/forum/?pli=1#%21topic/golang-announce/Kw31K8G7Fi0 (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_MISCx_transferred
- openSUSE-SU-2019:1079 (opens in a new tab)vendor-advisoryx_refsource_SUSEx_transferred
- openSUSE-SU-2019:1444 (opens in a new tab)vendor-advisoryx_refsource_SUSEx_transferred
- openSUSE-SU-2019:1499 (opens in a new tab)vendor-advisoryx_refsource_SUSEx_transferred
- openSUSE-SU-2019:1506 (opens in a new tab)vendor-advisoryx_refsource_SUSEx_transferred
- openSUSE-SU-2019:1703 (opens in a new tab)vendor-advisoryx_refsource_SUSEx_transferred
- openSUSE-SU-2020:0554 (opens in a new tab)vendor-advisoryx_refsource_SUSEx_transferred
- [debian-lts-announce] 20210313 [SECURITY] [DLA 2591-1] golang-1.7 security update (opens in a new tab)mailing-listx_refsource_MLISTx_transferred
- [debian-lts-announce] 20210313 [SECURITY] [DLA 2592-1] golang-1.8 security update (opens in a new tab)mailing-listx_refsource_MLISTx_transferred
Sources
The same CVE in the primary databases and aggregators, to check against.
- CVE.org record (opens in a new tab)
- CVE List JSON (GitHub) (opens in a new tab)
- NVD (opens in a new tab)
- FIRST EPSS (opens in a new tab)
- EUVD EUVD-2018-8664 (opens in a new tab)
- OSV.dev (opens in a new tab)
- GitHub Advisories (opens in a new tab)
- CIRCL Vulnerability-Lookup (opens in a new tab)
Badge for a README or a ticket
[](https://cveledger.app/cve/CVE-2018-16873)Record last updated .