CVE-2026-88066
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Path Traversal in Claude Desktop for Windows

Publication date: 2026-11-03

Last updated on: 2026-11-03

Assigner: GitHub, Inc.

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.

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Meta Information

Published
2026-11-03
Last Modified
2026-11-03
Generated
2026-11-03
AI Q&A
2026-11-03
EPSS Evaluated
N/A
NVD
CVE-2026-88066
EUVD
EUVD-2026-116208

Affected Vendors & Products

Showing 1 associated CPE
Vendor Product Version / Range
anthropics claude-code < 1.8089.0

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Exploitability

CWE
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KEV
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CWE ID Description
CWE-427 The product uses a fixed or controlled search path to find resources, but one or more locations in that path can be under the control of unintended actors.

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Executive Summary

Claude Desktop for Windows before version 1.8089.0 had a flaw where it ran git.exe without specifying an absolute path. This caused Windows to search the current project directory first for git.exe, allowing an attacker to place a malicious git.exe file there. When a user opened an attacker-controlled repository, the malicious git.exe would execute with the user's privileges.

Detection Guidance

Check the installed version of Claude Desktop on Windows. If it is below 1.8089.0, the system is vulnerable. Look for unexpected git.exe processes running in project directories or user profiles.

Impact Analysis

This vulnerability allows an attacker to execute arbitrary code on your system with your privileges. It could lead to data theft, malware installation, or further compromise of your system. Simply opening a malicious or shared repository in Claude Desktop could trigger the attack without additional user interaction.

Mitigation Strategies

Update Claude Desktop to version 1.8089.0 or later immediately. Disable automatic execution of scripts from untrusted directories and review project directories for suspicious git.exe files.

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