Git Credential Manager Core (GCM Core) is a secure Git credential helper built on .NET Core that runs on Windows and macOS. In Git Credential Manager Core before version 2.0.289, when recursively cloning a Git repository on Windows with submodules, Git will first clone the top-level repository and then recursively clone all submodules by starting new Git processes from the top-level working directory. If a malicious git.exe executable is present in the top-level repository then this binary will be started by Git Credential Manager Core when attempting to read configuration, and not git.exe as found on the %PATH%. This only affects GCM Core on Windows, not macOS or Linux-based distributions. GCM Core version 2.0.289 contains the fix for this vulnerability, and is available from the project's GitHub releases page. GCM Core 2.0.289 is also bundled in the latest Git for Windows release; version 2.29.2(3). As a workaround, users should avoid recursively cloning untrusted repositories with the --recurse-submodules option.
CVE-2020-26233
This high-severity CVE scores 7.3 under NVD CVSS v3. EPSS exploit-prediction score not yet available (the EPSS model rescores nightly; freshly-published CVEs typically appear within 48 hours). GitHub Security Advisory data not yet ingested — confidence will rise once GHSA publishes (typical lag: hours to days for open-source ecosystem CVEs; never for infrastructure-only CVEs).
- High severity, but no confirmed exploitation yet
No vendor fix yet — apply a workaround or compensating control (WAF / firewall / segmentation) and watch for a patch.
- CVSS v3
- 7.3
- EG Score
- 7.3(low)
- EPSS
- 92.5%
- KEV
- Not listed
Published
December 8, 2020
Last Modified
November 21, 2024
References (10)
- security-advisories@githubhttps://blog.blazeinfosec.com/attack-of-the-clones-2-git-command-client-remote-code-execution-strikes-back/
- security-advisories@githubhttps://git-scm.com/docs/git-clone#Documentation/git-clone.txt---recurse-submodulesltpathspecgt
- security-advisories@githubhttps://github.com/microsoft/Git-Credential-Manager-Core/commit/61c0388e064babb3b4e60d3ec269e8a07ab3bc76
- security-advisories@githubhttps://github.com/microsoft/Git-Credential-Manager-Core/releases/tag/v2.0.289-beta
- security-advisories@githubhttps://github.com/microsoft/Git-Credential-Manager-Core/security/advisories/GHSA-2gq7-ww4j-3m76
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108https://blog.blazeinfosec.com/attack-of-the-clones-2-git-command-client-remote-code-execution-strikes-back/
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108https://git-scm.com/docs/git-clone#Documentation/git-clone.txt---recurse-submodulesltpathspecgt
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108https://github.com/microsoft/Git-Credential-Manager-Core/commit/61c0388e064babb3b4e60d3ec269e8a07ab3bc76
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108https://github.com/microsoft/Git-Credential-Manager-Core/releases/tag/v2.0.289-beta
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108https://github.com/microsoft/Git-Credential-Manager-Core/security/advisories/GHSA-2gq7-ww4j-3m76
Weakness Classification(1)
MITRE Common Weakness Enumeration — the root-cause categories this CVE belongs to.
Data Freshness Timeline
(refreshed 10× in last 7d / 43× in last 30d)
Each row is a source pipeline that fetched or updated this CVE on that date, with what changed. For example, "NVD update" means NVD published or revised its analysis for this CVE; "MITRE cvelistV5" means we ingested or refreshed it from the CNA feed. Most recent first.
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Frequently asked(5)
What is CVE-2020-26233?
When was CVE-2020-26233 disclosed?
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What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-26233?
How do I remediate CVE-2020-26233?
Dependency Blast Radius
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