Git looks for localized messages in the wrong place

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Summary

CVECVE-2023-25815
StatePUBLISHED
AssignerGitHub_M
Source PriorityCVE Program / NVD first with legacy fallback
Published2023-04-25 20:15:09 UTC
Updated2026-11-02 23:17:15 UTC
DescriptionIn Git for Windows, the Windows port of Git, no localized messages are shipped with the installer. As a consequence, Git is expected not to localize messages at all, and skips the gettext initialization. However, due to a change in MINGW-packages, the `gettext()` function's implicit initialization no longer uses the runtime prefix but uses the hard-coded path `C:\mingw64\share\locale` to look for localized messages. And since any authenticated user has the permission to create folders in `C:\` (and since `C:\mingw64` does not typically exist), it is possible for low-privilege users to place fake messages in that location where `git.exe` will pick them up in version 2.40.1. This vulnerability is relatively hard to exploit and requires social engineering. For example, a legitimate message at the end of a clone could be maliciously modified to ask the user to direct their web browser to a malicious website, and the user might think that the message comes from Git and is legitimate. It does require local write access by the attacker, though, which makes this attack vector less likely. Version 2.40.1 contains a patch for this issue. Some workarounds are available. Do not work on a Windows machine with shared accounts, or alternatively create a `C:\mingw64` folder and leave it empty. Users who have administrative rights may remove the permission to create folders in `C:\`.

Risk And Classification

Primary CVSS: v3.1 2.2 LOW from [email protected]

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N

EPSS: 0.008390000 probability, percentile 0.578780000 (date 2026-11-03)

Problem Types: CWE-22 | CWE-134 | CWE-22 CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') | CWE-134 CWE-134: Use of Externally-Controlled Format String

VersionSourceTypeScoreSeverityVector
3.1[email protected]Primary2.2LOWCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N
3.1[email protected]Secondary3.3LOWCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:L
3.1CNADECLARED3.3LOWCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:L

CVSS v3.1 Breakdown

Attack Vector
Local
Attack Complexity
High
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N

NVD Known Affected Configurations (CPE 2.3)

TypeVendorProductVersionUpdateEditionLanguage
Operating System Fedoraproject Fedora 37 All All All
Operating System Fedoraproject Fedora 38 All All All
Application Git For Windows Project Git For Windows All All All All

Vendor Declared Affected Products

SourceVendorProductVersionPlatforms
CNA Git-for-windows Git affected < 2.40.1 Not specified

References

ReferenceSourceLinkTags
gettext: update to 0.21 by lazka · Pull Request #10461 · msys2/MINGW-packages · GitHub af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108 github.com Issue Tracking, Patch
Exploit 101 - Format Strings - BreakInSecurity af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108 axcheron.github.io Product
oss-security - [ANNOUNCE] Git v2.40.1 and friends af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108 www.openwall.com Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
[SECURITY] Fedora 36 Update: git-2.40.1-1.fc36 - package-announce - Fedora Mailing-Lists af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108 lists.fedoraproject.org
Git looks for localized messages in an unprivileged place · Advisory · git-for-windows/git · GitHub af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108 github.com Vendor Advisory
Git: Multiple Vulnerabilities (GLSA 202312-15) — Gentoo security af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108 security.gentoo.org
Release Git for Windows 2.40.1 · git-for-windows/git · GitHub af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108 github.com Release Notes
fprintf af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108 pubs.opengroup.org Product
[SECURITY] Fedora 37 Update: git-2.40.1-1.fc37 - package-announce - Fedora Mailing-Lists af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108 lists.fedoraproject.org Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
[SECURITY] Fedora 38 Update: git-2.40.1-1.fc38 - package-announce - Fedora Mailing-Lists af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108 lists.fedoraproject.org Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2024/09/msg00009.html af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108 lists.debian.org
lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2024/06/msg00018.html af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108 lists.debian.org
CVE Program record CVE.ORG www.cve.org canonical
NVD vulnerability detail NVD nvd.nist.gov canonical, analysis

Legacy QID Mappings

  • 160648 Oracle Enterprise Linux Security Update for git (ELSA-2023-3245)
  • 160686 Oracle Enterprise Linux Security Update for git (ELSA-2023-3246)
  • 199315 Ubuntu Security Notification for Git Vulnerabilities (USN-6050-1)
  • 241548 Red Hat Update for git (RHSA-2023:3248)
  • 241549 Red Hat Update for git (RHSA-2023:3246)
  • 241550 Red Hat Update for git (RHSA-2023:3243)
  • 241551 Red Hat Update for git (RHSA-2023:3245)
  • 241552 Red Hat Update for git (RHSA-2023:3247)
  • 241555 Red Hat Update for rh-git227-git (RHSA-2023:3280)
  • 241596 Red Hat Update for git (RHSA-2023:3192)
  • 283954 Fedora Security Update for git (FEDORA-2023-d84a75ea52)
  • 283975 Fedora Security Update for git (FEDORA-2023-003e7d2867)
  • 284158 Fedora Security Update for git (FEDORA-2023-eaf1bdd5ae)
  • 296101 Oracle Solaris 11.4 Support Repository Update (SRU) 59.138.2 Missing (CPUJUL2023)
  • 378458 Git for Windows Multiple Security Vulnerability
  • 378539 Alibaba Cloud Linux Security Update for git (ALINUX3-SA-2023:0047)
  • 378588 Microsoft Edge Based on Chromium Prior to 109.0.1518.115 Multiple Vulnerabilities
  • 502984 Alpine Linux Security Update for git
  • 502985 Alpine Linux Security Update for git
  • 502986 Alpine Linux Security Update for git
  • 502988 Alpine Linux Security Update for git
  • 503108 Alpine Linux Security Update for git
  • 505874 Alpine Linux Security Update for git
  • 673170 EulerOS Security Update for git (EulerOS-SA-2023-2312)
  • 673195 EulerOS Security Update for git (EulerOS-SA-2023-2332)
  • 673209 EulerOS Security Update for git (EulerOS-SA-2023-2354)
  • 673235 EulerOS Security Update for git (EulerOS-SA-2023-2380)
  • 673529 EulerOS Security Update for git (EulerOS-SA-2023-2641)
  • 673562 EulerOS Security Update for git (EulerOS-SA-2023-3127)
  • 673708 EulerOS Security Update for git (EulerOS-SA-2023-2683)
  • 710816 Gentoo Linux Git Multiple Vulnerabilities (GLSA 202312-15)
  • 753944 SUSE Enterprise Linux Security Update for git (SUSE-SU-2023:2038-1)
  • 753957 SUSE Enterprise Linux Security Update for git (SUSE-SU-2023:2062-1)
  • 753961 SUSE Enterprise Linux Security Update for git (SUSE-SU-2023:2038-2)
  • 753972 SUSE Enterprise Linux Security Update for git (SUSE-SU-2023:2081-1)
  • 92027 Microsoft Visual Studio Security Updates for June 2023
  • 941120 AlmaLinux Security Update for git (ALSA-2023:3246)
  • 941122 AlmaLinux Security Update for git (ALSA-2023:3245)
  • 960936 Rocky Linux Security Update for git (RLSA-2023:3246)

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