Claude Code: Trust Dialog Bypass via Git Worktree Spoofing Allows Arbitrary Code Execution

Exploitation

No confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next marks exploitation only from CISA KEV.

CVSS 4.0

7.7 · CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:P/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N · score source

EPSS

• CVE-2026-40068: 0.31% estimated exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 24.39 (FIRST EPSS, 2026-11-03). This is a model estimate, not proof of exploitation or customer exposure.

As published by the source; long descriptions are shortened.

Claude Code used the git worktree commondir file when determining folder trust but did not validate its contents. By crafting a repository with a commondir file pointing to a path the victim had previously trusted, an attacker could bypass the trust dialog and immediately execute malicious hooks defined in .claude/settings.json. Exploiting this required the victim to clone a malicious repository and run Claude Code within it, and for the attacker to know or guess a path the victim had already trusted. Users on standard Claude Code auto-update have received this fix already. Users performing manual updates are advised to update to the latest version. Claude Code thanks hackerone.com/masatoanzai for reporting this issue.

Published by the source

24 Apr 2026, 16:34 UTC

Last modified by the source

8 May 2026, 15:50 UTC

Source last checked

26 Oct 2026, 12:51 UTC

1. Revision 3 · amended · 26 Oct 2026

   Amended from ghsa record GHSA-q5hj-mxqh-vv77

2. Revision 2 · amended · 25 Oct 2026

   Reviewed OSV alias/range/CVSS4 correction; package source scopes and original publication preserved. No customer finding resolved.

3. Revision 1 · created · 24 Oct 2026

   Published from osv record GHSA-q5hj-mxqh-vv77

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# Patch Next advisory brief: CVE-2026-40068

Advisory: Claude Code: Trust Dialog Bypass via Git Worktree Spoofing Allows Arbitrary Code Execution
IDs: CVE-2026-40068, GHSA-q5hj-mxqh-vv77
Record: https://patchnext.com/advisories/cve-2026-40068 (revision 3, source checked 26 Oct 2026, 12:51 UTC)
Inventory: none attached. This brief comes from a public page and does not say whether any deployment is affected.
Severity: High (CVSS 7.7)
Exploitation: no confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next confirms exploitation only from CISA KEV.
Vendor response: Vendor fix available; fixed versions by package: @anthropic-ai/claude-code 2.1.84. A vendor fix does not mean a deployment is fixed.

## Affected components
- npm @anthropic-ai/claude-code: affected >= 2.1.63, < 2.1.84; fixed in 2.1.84

## Suggested inspection (read-only)
- `npm ls @anthropic-ai/claude-code --all`: lists every installed copy and version, including transitive ones. Run in the project root after `npm ci`.

## Supported action
Upgrade each affected component to a fixed version on its release line. For a transitive dependency, upgrade the parent package or add an override or constraint, then regenerate the lockfile. Redeploy every environment that ran an affected version.

## Required regression checks
- Run the test suite and a production build.
- Exercise the features that depend on @anthropic-ai/claude-code.
- Repeat the inspection and confirm that only fixed versions remain installed.

## Rollback considerations
- Keep the previous lockfile and deployment artifact. Rolling back reinstates the vulnerable version, so apply any documented mitigation while you fix forward.

## Unresolved questions
- Which deployments run an affected version?
- Exploitation status can change. Check again before lowering the priority.
- Mark the work resolved only after the fixed version is verified in production.

## Sources
- Verified: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/GHSA-q5hj-mxqh-vv77 (OSV record GHSA-q5hj-mxqh-vv77 lists affected ranges: npm @anthropic-ai/claude-code >=2.1.63 <2.1.84 (fixed))
- Verified: https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-q5hj-mxqh-vv77 (GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-q5hj-mxqh-vv77 lists affected ranges: npm @anthropic-ai/claude-code >=2.1.63 <2.1.84)

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