CVE-2023-25815: In 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…

PriorityP411low2.2CVSS 3.1

AVLACHPRLUIRSUCNILAN

EPSS

1.05%

60.2th percentile

In 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:\`.

Affected

30 ranges· showing 25

Vendor	Product	Version range	Fixed in
debian	git	< git 1:2.39.5-0+deb12u1 (bookworm)	git 1:2.39.5-0+deb12u1 (bookworm)
fedoraproject	fedora	—	—
fedoraproject	fedora	—	—
git-for-windows	git	< 2.40.1	2.40.1
git	git	>= 0 < 2.32.7-r0	2.32.7-r0
git	git	>= 0 < 2.34.8-r0	2.34.8-r0
git	git	>= 0 < 2.36.6-r0	2.36.6-r0
git	git	>= 0 < 2.38.5-r0	2.38.5-r0
git	git	>= 0 < 2.40.1-r0	2.40.1-r0
git	git	>= 0 < 2.40.1-r0	2.40.1-r0
git	git	>= 0 < 2.40.1-r0	2.40.1-r0
git	git	>= 0 < 2.40.1-r0	2.40.1-r0
git	git	>= 0 < 2.40.1-r0	2.40.1-r0
git	git	>= 0 < 2.40.1-r0	2.40.1-r0
git	git	>= 0 < 1:2.30.2-1+deb11u3	1:2.30.2-1+deb11u3
git	git	>= 0 < 1:2.39.5-0+deb12u1	1:2.39.5-0+deb12u1
git	git	>= 0 < 1:2.40.1-1	1:2.40.1-1
git	git	>= 0 < 1:2.40.1-1	1:2.40.1-1
git	git	>= 0 < 1:2.17.1-1ubuntu0.18	1:2.17.1-1ubuntu0.18
git	git	>= 0 < 1:2.25.1-1ubuntu3.11	1:2.25.1-1ubuntu3.11
git	git	>= 0 < 1:2.34.1-1ubuntu1.9	1:2.34.1-1ubuntu1.9
git	git	>= 0 < 1:2.7.4-0ubuntu1.10+esm8	1:2.7.4-0ubuntu1.10+esm8
git	git	>= 0 < 1:2.17.1-1ubuntu0.18+esm1	1:2.17.1-1ubuntu0.18+esm1
git_for_windows_project	git_for_windows	< 2.40.1	2.40.1
msrc	microsoft_visual_studio_2017_version_15.9	—	—

CVSS provenance

nvdv3.12.2LOWCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N

osv7.5HIGH

vendor_ubuntu7.5HIGH

vendor_debian3.3LOW

vendor_msrc3.3HIGH

vendor_redhat3.3LOW

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