VulnerabilityPublished 22 May 2024Updated 9 Nov 2026

CVE-2024-35197: Gix index · Refs and paths with reserved Windows device names access the devices

Affects gix-indexSource GCVE Database

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Not known to be exploited · CVSS 5.4 Medium : upgrade to 0.33.0 when convenient.

Data as of 9 Nov 2026, 11:23 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

5.4Medium

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 0.4% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 39% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in 0.33.0

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:L

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: Required
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: None
Integrity: Low
Availability: Low

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Network: The vulnerable component is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed, up to and including the entire Internet. Such a vulnerability is often termed 'remotely exploitable' and can be thought of as an attack being exploitable at the protocol level one or more network hops away (e.g., across one or more routers).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: None: The attacker is unauthorized prior to attack, and therefore does not require any access to settings or files to carry out an attack.
User Interaction: Required: Successful exploitation of this vulnerability requires a user to take some action before the vulnerability can be exploited.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: None: There is no loss of confidentiality within the impacted component.
Integrity: Low: Modification of data is possible, but the attacker does not have control over the consequence of a modification, or the amount of modification is limited. The data modification does not have a direct, serious impact on the impacted component.
Availability: Low: Performance is reduced or there are interruptions in resource availability. Even if repeated exploitation of the vulnerability is possible, the attacker does not have the ability to completely deny service to legitimate users. The resources in the impacted component are either partially available all of the time, or fully available only some of the time, but overall there is no direct, serious consequence to the impacted component.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 22 May 2024
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponized: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 8 Nov 2026.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponized: A Metasploit exploit module or Exploit-DB entry exists (Metasploit scanner modules do not count), or CISA SSVC or the CVSS exploit maturity reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Upgrade gix-index to 0.33.0.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
crates.iogix-index`pkg:cargo/gix-index`Other threats	Affected >=0.0.0-0 <0.33.0	Fixed in 0.33.0

Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.

AI-suggested

A patch is available and has been released in gix-index version 0.33.0. Users and administrators should upgrade to version 0.33.0 or later to remediate this vulnerability. No additional mitigation actions are indicated by the vendor advisory.

Description

CVE-2024-35197 is a vulnerability in the gix-index component on Windows where repository references or file paths that use reserved Windows device names (e.g., CON, CONIN$, CONOUT$, COM1) can cause unintended device access. Cloning a malicious repository can lead to indefinite blocking by reading from the console device or writing arbitrary attacker-controlled data to devices such as the console or serial ports. This can result in denial of service or deceptive console output that may facilitate social engineering. The issue affects versions prior to 0.33.0 and has been fixed in version 0.33.0.

Impact

The vulnerability can cause denial of service by blocking on console input when reading refs named after reserved device names. It also allows writing arbitrary data to devices like the console or serial ports, which can produce deceptive messages appearing to originate from the application. This may facilitate social engineering attacks or disrupt device operation. There is no indication of data confidentiality loss, but integrity and availability impacts are present. The CVSS score is 5.4 (medium severity) reflecting network attack vector, low complexity, no privileges required, user interaction required, no confidentiality impact, limited integrity impact, and low availability impact.

Summary

On Windows, gix-index does not properly handle refs or paths that match legacy Windows device names. When cloning a repository containing such refs or files, the software may read from devices like the console (causing blocking) or write arbitrary data to devices such as the console or serial ports. This behavior arises because gix-ref accesses refs without checking for reserved device names, and gix-worktree-state writes files without treating these names as collisions. The vulnerability allows denial of service via blocking on console input and can produce arbitrary console messages that appear to come from the application, potentially aiding social engineering. The vulnerability affects all versions before 0.33.0 and is fixed in 0.33.0.

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Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 9 Nov 2026, 11:23 UTC

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