# CVE-2023-29011: Git for Windows's config file of `connect.exe` is susceptible to malicious placing

> An attacker can place a malicious config file in a shared directory to execute code or escalate privileges on multi-user Windows machines running Git.

- **Severity:** High 7.6 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 25 Apr 2023
- **Updated:** 3 Feb 2025
- **Also known as:** GHSA-g4fv-xjqw-q7jm

## What is CVE-2023-29011?

CVE-2023-29011 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in git-for-windows git, published on 25 Apr 2023. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

Git for Windows, the Windows port of Git, ships with an executable called `connect.exe`, which implements a SOCKS5 proxy that can be used to connect e.g. to SSH servers via proxies when certain ports are blocked for outgoing connections. The location of `connect.exe`'s config file is hard-coded as `/etc/connectrc` which will typically be interpreted as `C:\etc\connectrc`. Since `C:\etc` can be created by any authenticated user, this makes `connect.exe` susceptible to malicious files being placed there by other users on the same multi-user machine. The problem has been patched in Git for Windows v2.40.1. As a workaround, create the folder `etc` on all drives where Git commands are run, and remove read/write access from those folders. Alternatively, watch out for malicious `<drive>:\etc\connectrc` files on multi-user machines.

Weakness: CWE-427 (Uncontrolled Search Path Element)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-29011?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Git for Windows Project Git for Windows.

## How do I fix CVE-2023-29011?

No fix has been published for CVE-2023-29011 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2023-29011 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-29011 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in git-for-windows git

- [CVE-2023-23618](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-23618/): gitk can inadvertently call executables in the worktree (high 8.6)
- [CVE-2022-24767](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-24767/): Other in Microsoft Visual Studio 2017 version 15.9 (includes 15.0 - 15.8) (high 7.8)
- [CVE-2016-9274](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-9274/): Privilege escalation in n/a (high 7.8)
- [CVE-2023-29012](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-29012/): Git CMD erroneously executes `doskey.exe` in the current directory, if it exists (high 7.3)
- [CVE-2023-22743](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-22743/): Git for Windows' installer is susceptible to DLL side loading attacks (high 7.3)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2023-29011 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2023-29011 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in git-for-windows git, published on 25 Apr 2023. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-29011 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: git-for-windows git. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-29011/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-29011/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-29011
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-29011
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-29011

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-29011/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.