Unpatched Cursor flaw runs a repo's fake git.exe the moment you open it

Security firm Mindgard disclosed an unpatched flaw in Cursor, the widely used AI code editor, that runs code automatically when a developer opens a malicious repository on Windows. When loading a project, Cursor looks for a Git binary in several places, including the workspace itself, so a file named git.exe planted in the repository root gets executed with no click, prompt, or warning, and it re-runs on a cadence while the project stays open. In a proof of concept, a renamed Windows Calculator launched on its own. Mindgard reported it in December and went public after seven months with no fix, so there is no patch and no CVE, only workarounds.

Check

Determine who uses Cursor on Windows, and avoid opening untrusted or freshly cloned repositories directly on a host, since a planted git.exe in the repository root runs automatically with the developer's access.

Affected

Developers using Cursor on Windows; opening a repository with a malicious git.exe in its root runs that binary automatically as the user, exposing source, SSH keys, and cloud tokens, with no patch.

Fix

Until Cursor fixes this, open untrusted repositories only in a disposable virtual machine or Windows Sandbox, add AppLocker path-deny rules for executables under workspace folders, and watch for unexpected child processes.