Git looks for localized messages in the wrong place

Description

In Git for Windows, the Windows port of Git, no localized messages are shipped with the installer. As a consequence, Git is expected not to localize messages at all, and skips the gettext initialization. However, due to a change in MINGW-packages, the `gettext()` function's implicit initialization no longer uses the runtime prefix but uses the hard-coded path `C:\mingw64\share\locale` to look for localized messages. And since any authenticated user has the permission to create folders in `C:\` (and since `C:\mingw64` does not typically exist), it is possible for low-privilege users to place fake messages in that location where `git.exe` will pick them up in version 2.40.1. This vulnerability is relatively hard to exploit and requires social engineering. For example, a legitimate message at the end of a clone could be maliciously modified to ask the user to direct their web browser to a malicious website, and the user might think that the message comes from Git and is legitimate. It does require local write access by the attacker, though, which makes this attack vector less likely. Version 2.40.1 contains a patch for this issue. Some workarounds are available. Do not work on a Windows machine with shared accounts, or alternatively create a `C:\mingw64` folder and leave it empty. Users who have administrative rights may remove the permission to create folders in `C:\`.

Timeline

Scores

EPSS (exploitation in 30 days)

0.84% · top 42% of all CVEs (7 Nov 2026)

CISA SSVC

Exploitation: none · Automatable: no · Technical impact: partial

The list uses the assigner's score when there is one, then CISA's, then NVD's: Low 3.3.

Weakness

• CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') (opens in a new tab)All about CWE-22 and its CVEs
• CWE-134: Use of Externally-Controlled Format String (opens in a new tab)All about CWE-134 and its CVEs

Affected products

• git-for-windows · git

  • affected < 2.40.1

References (12)

• https://github.com/git-for-windows/git/security/advisories/GHSA-9w66-8mq8-5vm8 (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_CONFIRMx_transferred
• https://github.com/msys2/MINGW-packages/pull/10461 (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_MISCx_transferred
• https://axcheron.github.io/exploit-101-format-strings/#writing-to-the-stack (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_MISCx_transferred
• https://github.com/git-for-windows/git/releases/tag/v2.40.1.windows.1 (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_MISCx_transferred
• https://pubs.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/9699919799/functions/printf.html (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_MISCx_transferred
• http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/04/25/2 (opens in a new tab)x_transferred
• https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/[email protected]/message/PI7FZ4NNR5S5J5K6AMVQBH2JFP6NE4L7/ (opens in a new tab)x_transferred
• https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/[email protected]/message/YFZWGQKB6MM5MNF2DLFTD7KS2KWPICKL/ (opens in a new tab)x_transferred
• https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/[email protected]/message/RKOXOAZ42HLXHXTW6JZI4L5DAIYDTYCU/ (opens in a new tab)x_transferred
• https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202312-15 (opens in a new tab)x_transferred
• https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2024/06/msg00018.html (opens in a new tab)x_transferred
• https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2024/09/msg00009.html (opens in a new tab)

Sources

The same CVE in the primary databases and aggregators, to check against.

• CVE.org record (opens in a new tab)
• CVE List JSON (GitHub) (opens in a new tab)
• NVD (opens in a new tab)
• FIRST EPSS (opens in a new tab)
• OSV.dev (opens in a new tab)
• GitHub Advisories (opens in a new tab)
• CIRCL Vulnerability-Lookup (opens in a new tab)

Badge for a README or a ticket

[![CVE-2023-25815](https://trackcve.app/badge/CVE-2023-25815.svg)](https://trackcve.app/cve/CVE-2023-25815)

Record last updated 2 Nov 2026, 22:31 UTC.