diff --git a/docs/usage.md b/docs/usage.md
index 53f70445..ddae3ba5 100644
--- a/docs/usage.md
+++ b/docs/usage.md
@@ -622,6 +622,9 @@ would be required when not using `setuptools-scm`.
 - ✅ **Check**: Is setuptools-scm installed in your build environment?
 - ✅ **Check**: Are you in a valid SCM repository?
 
+**Problem: Error about dubious ownership**
+- CVE-2022-24765 identified security issues with git trusting repositories owned by another user.  If the file-finder detects that git is unable to list files because it is operating in a git directory owned by another user, it will raise an error.  Since this was not the default behaviour of `setuptools_scm` previously, you can override this by setting `SETUPTOOLS_SCM_IGNORE_DUBIOUS_OWNER`, but be warned git will not be listing files correctly with this flag set.
+
 ### Timestamps for Local Development Versions
 
 !!! info "Improved Timestamp Behavior"
diff --git a/src/setuptools_scm/_file_finders/git.py b/src/setuptools_scm/_file_finders/git.py
index 4379c21a..02589898 100644
--- a/src/setuptools_scm/_file_finders/git.py
+++ b/src/setuptools_scm/_file_finders/git.py
@@ -22,6 +22,18 @@ def _git_toplevel(path: str) -> str | None:
         cwd = os.path.abspath(path or ".")
         res = _run(["git", "rev-parse", "HEAD"], cwd=cwd)
         if res.returncode:
+            # This catches you being in a git directory, but the
+            # permissions being incorrect.  With modern contanizered
+            # CI environments you can easily end up in a cloned repo
+            # with incorrect permissions and we don't want to silently
+            # ignore files.
+            if "--add safe.directory" in res.stderr and not os.environ.get(
+                "SETUPTOOLS_SCM_IGNORE_DUBIOUS_OWNER"
+            ):
+                log.error(res.stderr)
+                raise SystemExit(
+                    "git introspection failed: {}".format(res.stderr.split("\n")[0])
+                )
             # BAIL if there is no commit
             log.error("listing git files failed - pretending there aren't any")
             return None
diff --git a/testing/test_git.py b/testing/test_git.py
index 31cac7a3..2377e0f3 100644
--- a/testing/test_git.py
+++ b/testing/test_git.py
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 import shutil
 import subprocess
 import sys
+import textwrap
 
 from datetime import date
 from datetime import datetime
@@ -19,6 +20,7 @@
 import pytest
 
 import setuptools_scm._file_finders
+import setuptools_scm._file_finders.git
 
 from setuptools_scm import Configuration
 from setuptools_scm import NonNormalizedVersion
@@ -861,3 +863,35 @@ def test_git_no_commits_uses_fallback_version(wd: WorkDir) -> None:
     assert str(version_no_fallback.tag) == "0.0"
     assert version_no_fallback.distance == 0
     assert version_no_fallback.dirty is True
+
+
+@pytest.mark.issue("https://github.com/pypa/setuptools-scm/issues/784")
+def test_dubious_dir(
+    wd: WorkDir, caplog: pytest.LogCaptureFixture, monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch
+) -> None:
+    """Test that we exit clearly if we are in a unsafe directory"""
+    wd.commit_testfile()
+    git_wd = git.GitWorkdir(wd.cwd)
+
+    def _run(*args, **kwargs) -> CompletedProcess:  # type: ignore[no-untyped-def]
+        """Fake "git rev-parse HEAD" to fail as if you do not own the git repo"""
+        stderr = textwrap.dedent(f"""
+        fatal: detected dubious ownership in repository at '{git_wd}'
+        To add an exception for this directory, call:
+
+            git config --global --add safe.directory /this/is/a/fake/path
+        """)
+        orig_run = run
+        if args[0] == ["git", "rev-parse", "HEAD"]:
+            return CompletedProcess(
+                args=[], stdout="%cI", stderr=stderr, returncode=128
+            )
+        return orig_run(*args, **kwargs)
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(setuptools_scm._file_finders.git, "_run", _run)
+    with pytest.raises(SystemExit):
+        git_find_files(str(wd.cwd))
+
+    assert "fatal: detected dubious ownership in repository" in " ".join(
+        caplog.messages
+    )