Dulwich doesn't sanitize commit subjects in `porcelain.format_patch`
Impact
dulwich.porcelain.format_patch(outdir=...) derives each patch filename from the commit's subject line. Prior to this fix, get_summary only replaced spaces with dashes - path separators (/, ), parent-directory components (..), and other filename-hostile characters (e.g. :) were preserved verbatim and passed straight into os.path.join(outdir, f"{i:04d}-{summary}.patch").
A malicious commit subject could therefore direct the generated patch file outside the requested outdir. Reduced examples:
- x/../../x produced <outdir>/0001-x/../../x.patch, resolving two directories above outdir.
- x....\x produced the equivalent escape on Windows, here \ is also a path separator.
Related issues from the same root cause:
- Subjects containing characters that are illegal in Windows filenames (e.g. :) caused format_patch to fail outright on Windows, where git would have succeeded.
- Very long subjects produced excessively long filenames that could exceed filesystem limits; git truncates them.
Anyone calling porcelain.format_patch (or the dulwich format-patch CLI) against untrusted commits - for example, a service that runs format-patch over user-supplied repositories or pull requests - could have patch files written to attacker-chosen locations within the process's write permissions.
Patches
Fixed in Dulwich 1.2.5. Users should upgrade.
dulwich.patch.get_summary now mirrors git's format_sanitized_subject: only [A-Za-z0-9._] are kept, runs of other characters collapse to a single -, consecutive . collapse to a single ., trailing ./- are stripped, and the result is length-limited. This makes the returned string safe to embed as a filename component, so format_patch can no longer be steered out of outdir via the commit subject.
Workarounds
Until upgrading, callers that pass untrusted commits to porcelain.format_patch can:
- Use stdout=True and write the patch to a destination they control, rather than letting format_patch choose the filename.
- Validate the chosen path before opening - e.g. compare os.path.realpath(returned_path) against os.path.realpath(outdir) and reject any patch whose resolved path is not inside outdir.
- Pre-screen commits and refuse to format any whose subject's first line contains /, , .., or other characters that are not safe on the target filesystem.
Resources
- Fix commit: https://github.com/jelmer/dulwich/commit/c2446e51b
- Affected API: dulwich.porcelain.format_patch / dulwich format-patch
- Reference behavior: git's format_sanitized_subject in pretty.c
Affected software
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| Platform | Package | Vulnerable versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Python (PyPI) | dulwich | >= 0.24.0, < 1.2.5 | 1.2.5 |
References
- https://github.com/jelmer/dulwich/security/advisories/GHSA-555p-6grf-mh7f
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-47712
- https://github.com/jelmer/dulwich/commit/c2446e51b
- https://github.com/jelmer/dulwich
- https://github.com/jelmer/dulwich/releases/tag/dulwich-1.2.5
- https://pypi.org/project/dulwich
- https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-555p-6grf-mh7f
- CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N- Weakness (CWE)
CWE-22- Platform
- Python (PyPI)
- Package
dulwich- Disclosed
- 08.06.2026
- Updated
- 11.10.2026 14:18
Sources and licenses
OSV / GitHub Advisory Database - PYSEC-2026-2462 - PyPA Advisory Database; CC BY 4.0
OSV / GitHub Advisory Database - GHSA-555p-6grf-mh7f - CC BY 4.0
Vulnerability history: dulwich
All published vulnerabilities of this package (Python (PyPI)), newest first. Shows whether this is a one-off slip or a package that needs watching.
- Total entries
- 13
- First → latest
- 03.2015 10.2026
- Without a fix
- 0
- Exploited in attacks
- 0
Severity breakdown
- Critical 3
- High 7
- Medium 2
- Low 1
Disclosures per year
- 2017: 1
- 2018: 0
- 2019: 0
- 2020: 0
- 2021: 0
- 2022: 0
- 2023: 0
- 2024: 0
- 2025: 0
- 2026: 10
earlier: 2
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Dulwich doesn't sanitize commit subjects in `porcelain.format_patch` this entry
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