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Safe-output artifacts may expose CI trigger tokens

Critical
pelikhan published GHSA-8h78-hpm7-29gg Aug 27, 2026

Package

gh-aw

Affected versions

>= 0.83.3, < 0.85.4

Patched versions

0.85.4

Description

gh-aw versions 0.83.3 through 0.85.3 generated workflows whose safe-output jobs captured raw process stdout and stderr in the safe-outputs-items artifact.

When a workflow configured with GH_AW_CI_TRIGGER_TOKEN executed the create-pull-request or push-to-pull-request-branch safe output, a credential-bearing git config command could be written to stdout. The resulting artifact contained a Base64-encoded Git authorization header. Because the output was saved before GitHub 操作 runner masking occurred, normal secret masking did not protect the artifact.

Anyone able to download an affected artifact could decode the authorization header and recover the CI trigger token.

Exposure requires:

  • A non-empty GH_AW_CI_TRIGGER_TOKEN.
  • Execution of an affected create or push safe-output path.
  • Access to the resulting workflow artifact.

Impact depends on the token’s permissions, lifetime, and repository scope. Staged, cross-repository, or skipped safe-output paths are not affected.

Remediation

Upgrade to gh-aw v0.85.4 or later, run gh aw upgrade, and commit all regenerated .lock.yml files. Upgrading the locally installed CLI without regenerating the workflows does not replace their SHA-pinned action references.

For any affected workflow run:

  • Delete the corresponding safe-outputs-items artifact.
  • Revoke and rotate any long-lived PAT supplied through GH_AW_CI_TRIGGER_TOKEN or github-token-for-extra-empty-commit.
  • Audit repository activity performed using that credential.
  • Confirm that any short-lived GitHub App installation token or GITHUB_TOKEN has expired or been revoked.

Treat a long-lived credential as exposed if an affected artifact was available for download. Deleting the artifact does not invalidate copies that may already have been downloaded.

References

Severity

Critical

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 v4 base metrics

Exploitability Metrics
Attack Vector 网络
Attack Complexity Low
Attack Requirements Present
Privileges Required None
User interaction None
Vulnerable System Impact Metrics
Confidentiality High
Integrity High
Availability None
Subsequent System Impact Metrics
Confidentiality None
Integrity None
Availability None

CVSS v4 base metrics

Exploitability Metrics
Attack Vector: This metric reflects the context by which vulnerability exploitation is possible. This metric value (and consequently the resulting severity) will be larger the more remote (logically, and physically) an attacker can be in order to exploit the vulnerable system. The assumption is that the number of potential attackers for a vulnerability that could be exploited from across a network is larger than the number of potential attackers that could exploit a vulnerability requiring physical access to a device, and therefore warrants a greater severity.
Attack Complexity: This metric captures measurable actions that must be taken by the attacker to actively evade or circumvent existing built-in security-enhancing conditions in order to obtain a working exploit. These are conditions whose primary purpose is to increase security and/or increase exploit engineering complexity. A vulnerability exploitable without a target-specific variable has a lower complexity than a vulnerability that would require non-trivial customization. This metric is meant to capture security mechanisms utilized by the vulnerable system.
Attack Requirements: This metric captures the prerequisite deployment and execution conditions or variables of the vulnerable system that enable the attack. These differ from security-enhancing techniques/technologies (ref Attack Complexity) as the primary purpose of these conditions is not to explicitly mitigate attacks, but rather, emerge naturally as a consequence of the deployment and execution of the vulnerable system.
Privileges Required: This metric describes the level of privileges an attacker must possess prior to successfully exploiting the vulnerability. The method by which the attacker obtains privileged credentials prior to the attack (e.g., free trial accounts), is outside the scope of this metric. Generally, self-service provisioned accounts do not constitute a privilege requirement if the attacker can grant themselves privileges as part of the attack.
User interaction: This metric captures the requirement for a human user, other than the attacker, to participate in the successful compromise of the vulnerable system. This metric determines whether the vulnerability can be exploited solely at the will of the attacker, or whether a separate user (or user-initiated process) must participate in some manner.
Vulnerable System Impact Metrics
Confidentiality: This metric measures the impact to the confidentiality of the information managed by the VULNERABLE SYSTEM due to a successfully exploited vulnerability. Confidentiality refers to limiting information access and disclosure to only authorized users, as well as preventing access by, or disclosure to, unauthorized ones.
Integrity: This metric measures the impact to integrity of a successfully exploited vulnerability. Integrity refers to the trustworthiness and veracity of information. Integrity of the VULNERABLE SYSTEM is impacted when an attacker makes unauthorized modification of system data. Integrity is also impacted when a system user can repudiate critical actions taken in the context of the system (e.g. due to insufficient logging).
Availability: This metric measures the impact to the availability of the VULNERABLE SYSTEM resulting from a successfully exploited vulnerability. While the Confidentiality and Integrity impact metrics apply to the loss of confidentiality or integrity of data (e.g., information, files) used by the system, this metric refers to the loss of availability of the impacted system itself, such as a networked service (e.g., web, database, email). Since availability refers to the accessibility of information resources, attacks that consume network bandwidth, processor cycles, or disk space all impact the availability of a system.
Subsequent System Impact Metrics
Confidentiality: This metric measures the impact to the confidentiality of the information managed by the SUBSEQUENT SYSTEM due to a successfully exploited vulnerability. Confidentiality refers to limiting information access and disclosure to only authorized users, as well as preventing access by, or disclosure to, unauthorized ones.
Integrity: This metric measures the impact to integrity of a successfully exploited vulnerability. Integrity refers to the trustworthiness and veracity of information. Integrity of the SUBSEQUENT SYSTEM is impacted when an attacker makes unauthorized modification of system data. Integrity is also impacted when a system user can repudiate critical actions taken in the context of the system (e.g. due to insufficient logging).
Availability: This metric measures the impact to the availability of the SUBSEQUENT SYSTEM resulting from a successfully exploited vulnerability. While the Confidentiality and Integrity impact metrics apply to the loss of confidentiality or integrity of data (e.g., information, files) used by the system, this metric refers to the loss of availability of the impacted system itself, such as a networked service (e.g., web, database, email). Since availability refers to the accessibility of information resources, attacks that consume network bandwidth, processor cycles, or disk space all impact the availability of a system.
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

CVE ID

No known CVE

Weaknesses

Insertion of Sensitive Information into Log File

The product writes sensitive information to a log file. Learn more on MITRE.