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Fencer Intel
high 7.3

CVE-2020-26233 json

Remote Code Execution in Git Credential Manager Core

published 5y ago modified 4mo ago also EUVD-2020-18843

cvss
7.3
version 3.1, CNA
cisa kev
Not listed
not in CISA's catalog
epss
6.0%
EPSS 6.0% chance of exploitation in 30 days, percentile 93%
public exploits
0
none known

Summary

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.

Patch / fix

  • microsoft git_credential_manager_core 2.0.289

Is CVE-2020-26233 in your stack? Fencer shows which of your repositories are affected as soon as an advisory lands, and opens the fix as a pull request.

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Exploit prediction

5.99% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 93% of all scored CVEs (FIRST EPSS, 2026-11-09).

Exploits and checks

  • blog.blazeinfosec.com https://blog.blazeinfosec.com/attack-of-the-clones-2-git-command-client-remote-code-execution-strikes-back/ referenced PoC, tagged "exploit" by a source, unverified

CVSS scores

assigned by version score vector
CNA 3.1 7.3 CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:H/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N
NVD 3.1 7.3 CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:H/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N
NVD 2.0 3.6 AV:N/AC:H/Au:S/C:P/I:P/A:N

Affected products

  • microsoft Git-Credential-Manager-Core

Classification

Weakness
  • CWE-706 Use of Incorrectly-Resolved Name or Reference

References

Sources

Fencer Intel keeps one entry per vulnerability: the CVE id wins, then GHSA, and records that alias each other are merged, except that two CVEs always keep separate entries. The same data is available as JSON.