diff --git a/pkg/commands/git_commands/submodule.go b/pkg/commands/git_commands/submodule.go
index 79d3e2318..a31824e95 100644
--- a/pkg/commands/git_commands/submodule.go
+++ b/pkg/commands/git_commands/submodule.go
@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@ package git_commands
 
 import (
 	"bufio"
+	"fmt"
+	"io"
 	"os"
 	"path/filepath"
 	"regexp"
@@ -46,7 +48,36 @@ func (self *SubmoduleCommands) GetConfigs(parentModule *models.SubmoduleConfig)
 	}
 	defer file.Close()
 
-	scanner := bufio.NewScanner(file)
+	parsedConfigs, err := parseGitmodules(file, parentModule)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	configs := []*models.SubmoduleConfig{}
+	for _, config := range parsedConfigs {
+		if isSuspiciousSubmoduleName(config.Name) {
+			self.Log.Warnf("Ignoring suspicious submodule name: %s", config.Name)
+			continue
+		}
+
+		if isSuspiciousSubmodulePath(dir, config.Path) {
+			self.Log.Warnf("Ignoring suspicious submodule path: %s", config.Path)
+			continue
+		}
+
+		configs = append(configs, config)
+
+		nestedConfigs, err := self.GetConfigs(config)
+		if err == nil {
+			configs = append(configs, nestedConfigs...)
+		}
+	}
+
+	return configs, nil
+}
+
+func parseGitmodules(reader io.Reader, parentModule *models.SubmoduleConfig) ([]*models.SubmoduleConfig, error) {
+	scanner := bufio.NewScanner(reader)
 	scanner.Split(bufio.ScanLines)
 
 	firstMatch := func(str string, regex string) (string, bool) {
@@ -60,27 +91,22 @@ func (self *SubmoduleCommands) GetConfigs(parentModule *models.SubmoduleConfig)
 	}
 
 	configs := []*models.SubmoduleConfig{}
-	lastConfigIdx := -1
 	for scanner.Scan() {
 		line := scanner.Text()
 
-		if name, ok := firstMatch(line, `\[submodule "(.*)"\]`); ok {
+		if name, ok := firstMatch(line, `^\s*\[submodule "(.*)"\]`); ok {
 			configs = append(configs, &models.SubmoduleConfig{
 				Name: name, ParentModule: parentModule,
 			})
-			lastConfigIdx = len(configs) - 1
 			continue
 		}
 
-		if lastConfigIdx != -1 {
-			if path, ok := firstMatch(line, `\s*path\s*=\s*(.*)\s*`); ok {
-				configs[lastConfigIdx].Path = path
-				nestedConfigs, err := self.GetConfigs(configs[lastConfigIdx])
-				if err == nil {
-					configs = append(configs, nestedConfigs...)
-				}
-			} else if url, ok := firstMatch(line, `\s*url\s*=\s*(.*)\s*`); ok {
-				configs[lastConfigIdx].Url = url
+		if len(configs) > 0 {
+			config := configs[len(configs)-1]
+			if path, ok := firstMatch(line, `^\s*path\s*=\s*(.*)\s*`); ok {
+				config.Path = path
+			} else if url, ok := firstMatch(line, `^\s*url\s*=\s*(.*)\s*`); ok {
+				config.Url = url
 			}
 		}
 	}
@@ -92,6 +118,52 @@ func (self *SubmoduleCommands) GetConfigs(parentModule *models.SubmoduleConfig)
 	return configs, nil
 }
 
+// isSuspiciousSubmoduleName applies the same rule as git's
+// check_submodule_name(); git ignores a submodule whose name fails it. The
+// git dir of a submodule is .git/modules/<name>, so a ".." component in the
+// name could put it outside the repository. Like git, we treat both slashes
+// and backslashes as separators on every platform.
+func isSuspiciousSubmoduleName(name string) bool {
+	if name == "" {
+		return true
+	}
+
+	components := strings.FieldsFunc(name, func(r rune) bool {
+		return r == '/' || r == '\\'
+	})
+	return lo.Contains(components, "..")
+}
+
+// isSuspiciousSubmodulePath reports whether a submodule path from the
+// .gitmodules file in parentDir might lead somewhere other than a directory
+// below parentDir. We run commands in the submodule's directory and read the
+// .gitmodules file in it, so the path must not lead anywhere else.
+//
+// Git never checks out a file through a symlink, so a path that goes through
+// a symlink can't be a submodule in the first place. We reject such paths
+// even if the symlink points to a directory below parentDir.
+func isSuspiciousSubmodulePath(parentDir string, path string) bool {
+	if !filepath.IsLocal(path) || filepath.Clean(path) == "." {
+		return true
+	}
+
+	dir := parentDir
+	for _, component := range strings.Split(filepath.Clean(path), string(filepath.Separator)) {
+		dir = filepath.Join(dir, component)
+		fileInfo, err := os.Lstat(dir)
+		if os.IsNotExist(err) {
+			// Nothing below this point exists (e.g. because the submodule
+			// isn't checked out), so it can't lead anywhere else either
+			return false
+		}
+		if err != nil || !fileInfo.IsDir() {
+			return true
+		}
+	}
+
+	return false
+}
+
 // AnyHaveStageableChanges reports whether any of the given submodule paths has
 // a checked-out commit that differs from the one recorded in the
 // superproject's index, i.e. a change that `git add <path>` would actually
@@ -237,6 +309,18 @@ func (self *SubmoduleCommands) runInParentModule(submodule *models.SubmoduleConf
 func (self *SubmoduleCommands) Delete(submodule *models.SubmoduleConfig) error {
 	// based on https://gist.github.com/myusuf3/7f645819ded92bda6677
 
+	// Git keeps the git dirs of submodules separately for each worktree
+	gitDirPath := submodule.GitDirPath(self.repoPaths.WorktreeGitDirPath())
+
+	// The name of the submodule comes from .gitmodules, so it is under the
+	// control of whoever committed that file. Make sure that we never delete
+	// anything other than a directory below the "modules" directory of the
+	// worktree's git dir.
+	modulesDirPath := filepath.Join(self.repoPaths.WorktreeGitDirPath(), "modules")
+	if relPath, err := filepath.Rel(modulesDirPath, gitDirPath); err != nil || relPath == "." || !filepath.IsLocal(relPath) {
+		return fmt.Errorf("refusing to delete %s because it is not inside %s", gitDirPath, modulesDirPath)
+	}
+
 	if err := self.runInParentModule(submodule, self.cmd.New(
 		NewGitCmd("submodule").
 			Arg("deinit", "--force", "--", submodule.Path).ToArgv(),
@@ -269,8 +353,7 @@ func (self *SubmoduleCommands) Delete(submodule *models.SubmoduleConfig) error {
 		self.Log.Error(err)
 	}
 
-	// Git keeps the git dirs of submodules separately for each worktree
-	return os.RemoveAll(submodule.GitDirPath(self.repoPaths.WorktreeGitDirPath()))
+	return os.RemoveAll(gitDirPath)
 }
 
 func (self *SubmoduleCommands) Add(name string, path string, url string) error {
diff --git a/pkg/commands/git_commands/submodule_test.go b/pkg/commands/git_commands/submodule_test.go
index d449d81de..554d0175f 100644
--- a/pkg/commands/git_commands/submodule_test.go
+++ b/pkg/commands/git_commands/submodule_test.go
@@ -1,16 +1,210 @@
 package git_commands
 
 import (
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
 
 	"github.com/go-errors/errors"
+	"github.com/jesseduffield/lazygit/pkg/commands/models"
 	"github.com/jesseduffield/lazygit/pkg/commands/oscommands"
 	"github.com/jesseduffield/lazygit/pkg/env"
 	"github.com/samber/lo"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
 )
 
+func TestParseGitmodules(t *testing.T) {
+	scenarios := []struct {
+		testName string
+		lines    []string
+		expected []*models.SubmoduleConfig
+	}{
+		{
+			testName: "two submodules",
+			lines: []string{
+				`[submodule "one"]`,
+				"\tpath = path/to/one",
+				"\turl = https://example.com/one.git",
+				`[submodule "two"]`,
+				"\tpath = two",
+				"\turl = ../two",
+			},
+			expected: []*models.SubmoduleConfig{
+				{Name: "one", Path: "path/to/one", Url: "https://example.com/one.git"},
+				{Name: "two", Path: "two", Url: "../two"},
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			testName: "url that contains path=",
+			lines: []string{
+				`[submodule "sub"]`,
+				"\tpath = sub",
+				"\turl = https://example.com/repo?path=other",
+			},
+			expected: []*models.SubmoduleConfig{
+				{Name: "sub", Path: "sub", Url: "https://example.com/repo?path=other"},
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			testName: "commented-out section",
+			lines: []string{
+				`[submodule "sub"]`,
+				"\tpath = sub",
+				"\turl = ../sub",
+				`#[submodule "old"]`,
+				"#\tpath = old",
+				"#\turl = ../old",
+			},
+			expected: []*models.SubmoduleConfig{
+				{Name: "sub", Path: "sub", Url: "../sub"},
+			},
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, s := range scenarios {
+		t.Run(s.testName, func(t *testing.T) {
+			configs, err := parseGitmodules(strings.NewReader(strings.Join(s.lines, "\n")), nil)
+			assert.NoError(t, err)
+			assert.Equal(t, s.expected, configs)
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func TestIsSuspiciousSubmoduleName(t *testing.T) {
+	scenarios := []struct {
+		name       string
+		suspicious bool
+	}{
+		{name: "sub", suspicious: false},
+		{name: "path/to/sub", suspicious: false},
+		{name: "path\\to\\sub", suspicious: false},
+		{name: ".", suspicious: false},
+		{name: "...", suspicious: false},
+		{name: "..sub", suspicious: false},
+		{name: "sub..", suspicious: false},
+		{name: "a..b/c", suspicious: false},
+		{name: "", suspicious: true},
+		{name: "..", suspicious: true},
+		{name: "../victim", suspicious: true},
+		{name: "../../../victim", suspicious: true},
+		{name: "sub/..", suspicious: true},
+		{name: "sub/../../victim", suspicious: true},
+		{name: "..\\victim", suspicious: true},
+		{name: "sub\\..\\..\\victim", suspicious: true},
+		{name: "sub/..\\..\\victim", suspicious: true},
+	}
+
+	for _, s := range scenarios {
+		t.Run(s.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			assert.Equal(t, s.suspicious, isSuspiciousSubmoduleName(s.name))
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func TestIsSuspiciousSubmodulePath(t *testing.T) {
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+	parentDir := filepath.Join(dir, "repo")
+	assert.NoError(t, os.MkdirAll(filepath.Join(parentDir, "sub"), 0o755))
+	assert.NoError(t, os.MkdirAll(filepath.Join(parentDir, "path", "to", "sub"), 0o755))
+	assert.NoError(t, os.MkdirAll(filepath.Join(dir, "other"), 0o755))
+	assert.NoError(t, os.WriteFile(filepath.Join(parentDir, "file"), []byte("content"), 0o644))
+
+	scenarios := []struct {
+		path       string
+		suspicious bool
+	}{
+		{path: "sub", suspicious: false},
+		{path: "sub/", suspicious: false},
+		{path: "path/to/sub", suspicious: false},
+		{path: "not_checked_out", suspicious: false},
+		{path: "path/not_checked_out/sub", suspicious: false},
+		{path: "", suspicious: true},
+		{path: ".", suspicious: true},
+		{path: "./", suspicious: true},
+		{path: "sub/..", suspicious: true},
+		{path: "..", suspicious: true},
+		{path: "../other", suspicious: true},
+		{path: "sub/../../other", suspicious: true},
+		{path: filepath.Join(dir, "other"), suspicious: true},
+		{path: "file", suspicious: true},
+		{path: "file/sub", suspicious: true},
+	}
+
+	for _, s := range scenarios {
+		t.Run(s.path, func(t *testing.T) {
+			assert.Equal(t, s.suspicious, isSuspiciousSubmodulePath(parentDir, s.path))
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func TestIsSuspiciousSubmodulePathWithSymlinks(t *testing.T) {
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+	parentDir := filepath.Join(dir, "repo")
+	assert.NoError(t, os.MkdirAll(filepath.Join(parentDir, "sub"), 0o755))
+	assert.NoError(t, os.MkdirAll(filepath.Join(dir, "other", "sub"), 0o755))
+	if err := os.Symlink(filepath.Join("..", "other"), filepath.Join(parentDir, "link_outside")); err != nil {
+		t.Skipf("Can't create symlinks: %v", err)
+	}
+	assert.NoError(t, os.Symlink("sub", filepath.Join(parentDir, "link_inside")))
+
+	scenarios := []struct {
+		path       string
+		suspicious bool
+	}{
+		{path: "sub", suspicious: false},
+		{path: "link_outside", suspicious: true},
+		{path: "link_outside/sub", suspicious: true},
+		{path: "link_inside", suspicious: true},
+	}
+
+	for _, s := range scenarios {
+		t.Run(s.path, func(t *testing.T) {
+			assert.Equal(t, s.suspicious, isSuspiciousSubmodulePath(parentDir, s.path))
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func TestSubmoduleDeleteOutsideModulesDir(t *testing.T) {
+	scenarios := []struct {
+		testName string
+		name     string
+		// relative to the directory that contains the repo
+		victimPath string
+	}{
+		{
+			testName:   "modules dir itself",
+			name:       ".",
+			victimPath: "repo/.git/modules/other_submodule",
+		},
+		{
+			testName:   "outside the repo",
+			name:       "../../../victim",
+			victimPath: "victim",
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, s := range scenarios {
+		t.Run(s.testName, func(t *testing.T) {
+			dir := t.TempDir()
+			victimFile := filepath.Join(dir, s.victimPath, "file")
+			assert.NoError(t, os.MkdirAll(filepath.Dir(victimFile), 0o755))
+			assert.NoError(t, os.WriteFile(victimFile, []byte("content"), 0o644))
+
+			runner := oscommands.NewFakeRunner(t)
+			instance := buildSubmoduleCommands(commonDeps{
+				runner:    runner,
+				repoPaths: MockRepoPaths(filepath.Join(dir, "repo")),
+			})
+
+			err := instance.Delete(&models.SubmoduleConfig{Name: s.name, Path: "sub"})
+			assert.Error(t, err)
+			assert.FileExists(t, victimFile)
+			runner.CheckForMissingCalls()
+		})
+	}
+}
+
 func TestSubmoduleGetConflictCommits(t *testing.T) {
 	type scenario struct {
 		testName       string
diff --git a/pkg/integration/tests/submodule/ignore_suspicious_name.go b/pkg/integration/tests/submodule/ignore_suspicious_name.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..fdca074cd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/integration/tests/submodule/ignore_suspicious_name.go
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+package submodule
+
+import (
+	"github.com/jesseduffield/lazygit/pkg/config"
+	. "github.com/jesseduffield/lazygit/pkg/integration/components"
+)
+
+var IgnoreSuspiciousName = NewIntegrationTest(NewIntegrationTestArgs{
+	Description:  "Ignore a submodule whose name in .gitmodules would put its git dir outside the repository",
+	ExtraCmdArgs: []string{},
+	Skip:         false,
+	SetupConfig:  func(config *config.AppConfig) {},
+	SetupRepo: func(shell *Shell) {
+		shell.CreateFile("../victim/file", "content")
+
+		shell.EmptyCommit("first commit")
+		shell.CloneIntoSubmodule("my_submodule_name", "my_submodule_path")
+		shell.GitAddAll()
+		shell.Commit("add submodule")
+
+		// The git dir of a submodule is .git/modules/<name>, so this name
+		// points at the victim directory next to the repository
+		shell.UpdateFileAndAdd(".gitmodules", `[submodule "../../../victim"]
+	path = my_submodule_path
+	url = ../my_submodule_name
+`)
+		shell.Commit("rename submodule")
+	},
+	Run: func(t *TestDriver, keys config.KeybindingConfig) {
+		t.Views().Submodules().Focus().
+			IsEmpty()
+
+		t.FileSystem().
+			PathPresent("../victim/file")
+	},
+})
diff --git a/pkg/integration/tests/submodule/ignore_suspicious_path.go b/pkg/integration/tests/submodule/ignore_suspicious_path.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d2cf3416e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/integration/tests/submodule/ignore_suspicious_path.go
@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+package submodule
+
+import (
+	"github.com/jesseduffield/lazygit/pkg/config"
+	. "github.com/jesseduffield/lazygit/pkg/integration/components"
+)
+
+var IgnoreSuspiciousPath = NewIntegrationTest(NewIntegrationTestArgs{
+	Description:  "Ignore a submodule whose path in .gitmodules leads outside the repository",
+	ExtraCmdArgs: []string{},
+	Skip:         false,
+	SetupConfig:  func(config *config.AppConfig) {},
+	SetupRepo: func(shell *Shell) {
+		// Two unrelated repos next to ours, each with an uncommitted change
+		for _, otherRepo := range []string{"other_repo", "linked_repo"} {
+			shell.Chdir("..")
+			shell.CreateDir(otherRepo)
+			shell.Chdir(otherRepo)
+			shell.Init()
+			shell.CreateFileAndAdd("file", "original")
+			shell.Commit("initial commit")
+			shell.UpdateFile("file", "modified")
+			shell.Chdir("../repo")
+		}
+
+		shell.EmptyCommit("first commit")
+		shell.RunCommand([]string{"ln", "-s", "../linked_repo", "link"})
+		shell.GitAdd("link")
+		shell.CreateFileAndAdd(".gitmodules", `[submodule "other"]
+	path = ../other_repo
+	url = ../other_repo
+[submodule "linked"]
+	path = link
+	url = ../linked_repo
+`)
+		shell.Commit("add submodules")
+		shell.CreateFile("untracked", "content")
+	},
+	Run: func(t *TestDriver, keys config.KeybindingConfig) {
+		t.Views().Submodules().
+			IsEmpty()
+
+		t.Views().Files().Focus().
+			Lines(
+				Contains("untracked"),
+			).
+			Press(keys.Files.ViewResetOptions).
+			Tap(func() {
+				t.ExpectPopup().Menu().
+					Title(Equals("")).
+					Select(Contains("Nuke working tree")).
+					Confirm()
+
+				t.ExpectPopup().Confirmation().
+					Title(Equals("Nuke working tree")).
+					Content(AnyString()).
+					Confirm()
+			}).
+			IsEmpty()
+
+		t.FileSystem().
+			FileContent("../other_repo/file", Equals("modified")).
+			FileContent("../linked_repo/file", Equals("modified"))
+	},
+})
diff --git a/pkg/integration/tests/test_list.go b/pkg/integration/tests/test_list.go
index 282c2436c..97a225f06 100644
--- a/pkg/integration/tests/test_list.go
+++ b/pkg/integration/tests/test_list.go
@@ -578,6 +578,8 @@ var tests = []*components.IntegrationTest{
 	submodule.Enter,
 	submodule.EnterFromDotfileBareRepo,
 	submodule.EnterNested,
+	submodule.IgnoreSuspiciousName,
+	submodule.IgnoreSuspiciousPath,
 	submodule.Remove,
 	submodule.RemoveInLinkedWorktree,
 	submodule.RemoveNested,