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docs_flaw_checker.yml: code execution

Moderate
bkueng published GHSA-rfc7-3pxc-c68p Aug 15, 2025

Package

actions CI (GitHub Actions)

Affected versions

main

Patched versions

main

Description

Summary

The workflow docs_flaw_checker.yml is triggered by pull_request_target which allows limited write access to the repository. An attacker can execute code by creating a file like docs/en/flying/$(date).md.

Details

High-level explanation: https://securitylab.github.com/resources/github-actions-preventing-pwn-requests/

The vulnerable step is echo "${{ steps.get_changed_markdown_english.outputs.all_changed_files }}"
If the output all_changed_files contains shell expansions, the workflow runner will pass them directly to echo "..".

PoC

The PR #24585 shows how an attack could look like. The attacker was able exfiltrate the GitHub token during the run and create a review of the PR (on behalf of the github-actions bot).

Impact

The attacker can edit labels of PRs (e.g. Admin: Merge after CI passes ✅). As far as I could determine it is not possible to merge PRs or write to the main branch directly.

Severity

Moderate

CVSS overall score

This score calculates overall vulnerability severity from 0 to 10 and is based on the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS).
/ 10

CVSS v3 base metrics

Attack vector
Network
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS v3 base metrics

Attack vector: More severe the more the remote (logically and physically) an attacker can be in order to exploit the vulnerability.
Attack complexity: More severe for the least complex attacks.
Privileges required: More severe if no privileges are required.
User interaction: More severe when no user interaction is required.
Scope: More severe when a scope change occurs, e.g. one vulnerable component impacts resources in components beyond its security scope.
Confidentiality: More severe when loss of data confidentiality is highest, measuring the level of data access available to an unauthorized user.
Integrity: More severe when loss of data integrity is the highest, measuring the consequence of data modification possible by an unauthorized user.
Availability: More severe when the loss of impacted component availability is highest.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N

CVE ID

No known CVE

Weaknesses

No CWEs