The vulnerability resides within GitPython’s TagReference.create() routine, where a positional reference argument bypasses the unsafe guard. An attacker that can control the tag creation process can supply a reference value such as --file=<path> to cause the library to read an arbitrary file from the host filesystem. The contents of that file are then returned in the annotation message of the created tag, exposing potentially sensitive data.

Any installation of GitPython older than version 3.1.59 is affected, including the version ships from the gitpython-developers project. Users running these versions should verify the current version and upgrade as soon as possible.

With a CVSS score of 7.1 the vulnerability is considered high severity and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog. The EPSS score is < 1%, indicating a very low probability of exploitation in the wild, but the ability to read arbitrary local files suggests that an attacker with code execution or repository manipulation privileges could leverage this flaw. If uncontrolled code can create tags, the risk is heightened to local or potentially remote attack depending on the deployment model.