CVE-2025-68119
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows attackers to execute arbitrary code or write arbitrary files when downloading and building Go modules with malicious version strings. It affects systems with Mercurial (hg) or Git installed when using non-standard module sources or explicitly providing malicious version strings to the toolchain. Users who download Go modules from untrusted sources or process untrusted version strings are at risk.
💻 Affected Systems
- Go toolchain
📦 What is this software?
Go by Golang
Go by Golang
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Full system compromise through arbitrary code execution, allowing attackers to install malware, exfiltrate data, or pivot to other systems.
Likely Case
Local file system manipulation or limited code execution in the context of the user running the Go toolchain, potentially leading to data theft or privilege escalation.
If Mitigated
No impact if only using standard module sources (@latest or bare module paths) and not processing untrusted version strings.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires the victim to download modules from attacker-controlled sources or process attacker-provided version strings.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Go 1.24.1 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://groups.google.com/g/golang-announce/c/Vd2tYVM8eUc
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Update Go to version 1.24.1 or later. 2. For Mercurial-related issues, ensure you're using Go 1.24.1+. 3. For Git-related issues, update to Go 1.24.1+ and ensure Git is properly configured.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict module sources
allOnly download Go modules from trusted, standard sources and avoid using custom domains or untrusted repositories.
Validate version strings
allImplement input validation for any version strings provided to the Go toolchain from external sources.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict access controls to prevent downloading modules from untrusted sources
- Use sandboxed environments or containers when building Go modules from external sources
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check if your Go version is older than 1.24.1 and if you download modules from non-standard sources or process external version strings.Check Version:
go versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify Go version is 1.24.1 or later using 'go version' command and confirm modules are only downloaded from trusted sources.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual VCS commands being executed during module downloads
- Module downloads from non-standard domains or repositories
- Errors or warnings related to version string parsing
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests to unusual domains during module downloads
- Git or Mercurial protocol traffic to unexpected repositories
SIEM Query:
Search for process executions of 'git' or 'hg' commands with unusual arguments during Go module operations