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Public proof of conceptFix available

CVE-2020-26233

A public proof of concept exists; no exploitation attested.

  • Published2020-12-08
  • Fixed in2.0.289
  • WeaknessCWE-706

Am I affected?

With a domain, we read the version its public headers and pages expose. A distribution build can carry the fix under an older number.

Description

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.

Timeline

dates in UTC
  1. 2020-12-0820:15CVE publishedNVD

Observed activity

isMalicious corpus · updated 2026-11-04 09:37 UTC
Indicators tagged with this CVE, per day0 indicators over 7 days
Block these indicators
  • Firewall list (EDL, text): https://api.ismalicious.com/edl/cve/CVE-2020-26233?format=txt
  • CSV export: https://api.ismalicious.com/edl/cve/CVE-2020-26233?format=csv
  • TAXII collection of exploited CVEs
  • The EDL and CSV take an API key on the Pro plan.

Versions per branch

NVD
Microsoft git credential manager core
BranchAffectedFixed in
2.0< 2.0.2892.0.289

as publishedRanges as NVD and OSV publish them; a distribution’s build can be fixed under an older number.

Fix

  1. Update Microsoft git credential manager core to 2.0.289

Advisories and patches

Detection

read 2026-11-03 22:42 UTC
Nuclei template
none so far
ProjectDiscovery
Exploit-DB
no entry
Exploit-DB
Proof-of-concept repositories
2 repositories, unverifiedwhr819987540/test_CVE-2020-26233an1p3lg5/CVE-2020-26233
PoC-in-GitHub
Metasploit modules
none listed
Metasploit Framework

Sources

  • CNACVSS 3.17.3known since 2026-10-23
  • NVDCVSS 3.17.3read 2026-10-23
  • NVDCVSS 2.03.6read 2026-10-23
  • CNAweakness (CWE)CWE-706known since 2026-10-23
  • NVDweakness (CWE)CWE-706read 2026-10-23
  • FIRST EPSSEPSS score6.0 %2026-11-03
  • PoC-in-GitHubproof of concept2read 2026-11-03

Identifiers

Technical details

CVSS v3 Vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:H/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N
Published
2020-12-08
Last Modified
2026-06-17
NVD status
Modified

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2020-26233?

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.

Is CVE-2020-26233 actively exploited?

Active exploitation of CVE-2020-26233 has not been confirmed. Its EPSS score was 6.0% on 2026-11-03, the estimated probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What is the CVSS score for CVE-2020-26233?

CVE-2020-26233 has a CVSS v3 base score of 7.3 (HIGH severity), with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:H/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N.

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