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CRITICAL

Git's recursive clones on case-insensitive filesystems that support symlinks are susceptible to Remote Code Execution

Published May 14, 2024

Description

Git is a revision control system. Prior to versions 2.45.1, 2.44.1, 2.43.4, 2.42.2, 2.41.1, 2.40.2, and 2.39.4, repositories with submodules can be crafted in a way that exploits a bug in Git whereby it can be fooled into writing files not into the submodule's worktree but into a `.git/` directory. This allows writing a hook that will be executed while the clone operation is still running, giving the user no opportunity to inspect the code that is being executed. The problem has been patched in versions 2.45.1, 2.44.1, 2.43.4, 2.42.2, 2.41.1, 2.40.2, and 2.39.4. If symbolic link support is disabled in Git (e.g. via `git config --global core.symlinks false`), the described attack won't work. As always, it is best to avoid cloning repositories from untrusted sources.

Affected products

Remediation

Red Hat statement

While the described bug in Git presents a significant security concern, it falls short of being categorized as Critical due to several factors. The exploit requires a specific set of conditions, such as repositories with submodules and the presence of symbolic link support. Additionally, successful exploitation relies on users cloning repositories from untrusted sources, limiting its scope compared to critical vulnerabilities that may be remotely exploitable or affect a broader range of use cases. However, the potential impact of remote code execution during cloning operations underscores the importance of promptly applying patches and exercising caution when interacting with Git repositories, emphasizing its significant severity within the realm of software security.

Red Hat mitigation

One preventative measure is to disable symbolic link support. This can be accomplished by running the command git config --global core.symlinks false. Another temporary option is to avoid using the --recurse-submodules setting with untrusted git repos.

Metrics

Weaknesses (3)

CWE-22

Path Traversal

CWE-434

Unrestricted Upload of File

CWE-59

References (12)

Change history (0)

No recorded changes yet.

Sources
CVE.org / MITRE
Status PUBLISHED
Assigner GitHub_M
Published May 14, 2024
Updated Nov 4, 2025
Reserved Apr 8, 2024
Link CVE-2024-32002
CISA Vulnrichment
Updated May 29, 2024
NVD
Status Modified
Modified Jun 17, 2026
Link CVE-2024-32002
Red Hat
Severity Important
Public date May 14, 2024
Links CVE-2024-32002 - Bugzilla