CVE-2023-29011
Git for Windows's config file of `connect.exe` is susceptible to malicious placing
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.
Attack profile
How easy it is to exploit
- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- High
- Privileges needed
- Low
- User interaction
- Required
What an attacker can affect
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
Exploit likelihood
What each source reports
CVE List Score used
7.6
Git for Windows's config file of `connect.exe` is susceptible to malicious placing
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.
- Record
CVE-2023-29011- CVSS 3.1
- 7.6 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H - Weakness
- CWE-427
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2023-32624
7.6
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.
- Record
EUVD-2023-32624- CVSS 3.1
- 7.6 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-03
NVD
7.5
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.
- Record
CVE-2023-29011- CVSS 3.1
- 7.5 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H - CVSS 3.1
- 7.8 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - Weakness
- CWE-427
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSV
7.5
Git for Windows's config file of `connect.exe` is susceptible to malicious placing
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.
- Record
CVE-2023-29011- CVSS 3.1
- 7.5 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H - Weakness
- CWE-427
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
Affected products
History
| Recorded | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| aliases, published | EUVD | |
| first indexed | CVE List, NVD, OSV |
Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.
In short
CVE-2023-29011 is a high vulnerability (CVSS 7.6) in Git-for-windows Git, published April 25, 2023. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 0.38%, the 32nd percentile. No source names a fixed version.