CVE-2023-52137GitHub Action tj-actions/verify-changed-files is vulnerable to command injection in output filenames
- 7.7HighCVSS base score
- 2.6%Exploitation in 30 daysEPSS · top 14% of all CVEs
- NoKnown exploitednot in CISA's KEV catalog
- NonePublic exploitsnone known yet
Description
The [`tj-actions/verify-changed-files`](https://github.com/tj-actions/verify-changed-files) action allows for command injection in changed filenames, allowing an attacker to execute arbitrary code and potentially leak secrets. The [`verify-changed-files`](https://github.com/tj-actions/verify-changed-files) workflow returns the list of files changed within a workflow execution. This could potentially allow filenames that contain special characters such as `;` which can be used by an attacker to take over the [GitHub Runner](https://docs.github.com/en/actions/using-github-hosted-runners/about-github-hosted-runners) if the output value is used in a raw fashion (thus being directly replaced before execution) inside a `run` block. By running custom commands, an attacker may be able to steal secrets such as `GITHUB_TOKEN` if triggered on other events than `pull_request`. This has been patched in versions [17](https://github.com/tj-actions/verify-changed-files/releases/tag/v17) and [17.0.0](https://github.com/tj-actions/verify-changed-files/releases/tag/v17.0.0) by enabling `safe_output` by default and returning filename paths escaping special characters for bash environments.
Timeline
ID reserved
By GitHub_M
- 1 day later
· 1 day later
Published
- 7 months later
· 7 months later
Record updated
Changes after publication (a new score, a public exploit, EPSS crossing 1, 10 or 50 %, leaving KEV) are kept since November 2026; earlier ones are not known.
Scores
| Scored by | CVSS | Score | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|
| GitHub_MCNA (assigner) | 3.1 | High7.7 | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:L/A:L |
| NVDNVD · Modified | 3.1 | High8.8 | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
- EPSS (exploitation in 30 days)
- 2.6% · top 14% of all CVEs (15 Nov 2026)
The list uses the assigner's score when there is one, then CISA's, then NVD's: High 7.7.
Affected products
tj-actions · verify-changed-files
- affected < 17.0.0
Affected packages
From reviewed advisories of the GitHub Advisory Database.
- GitHub Actionstj-actions/verify-changed-filesGHSA-ghm2-rq8q-wrhc (opens in a new tab)
References
References3
- https://github.com/tj-actions/verify-changed-files/security/advisories/GHSA-ghm2-rq8q-wrhc (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_CONFIRMx_transferred
- https://github.com/tj-actions/verify-changed-files/commit/498d3f316f501aa72485060e8c96fde7b2014f12 (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_MISCx_transferred
- https://github.com/tj-actions/verify-changed-files/commit/592e305da041c09a009afa4a43c97d889bed65c3 (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_MISCx_transferred
Sources
The same CVE in the primary databases and aggregators, to check against.
- CVE.org record (opens in a new tab)
- CVE List JSON (GitHub) (opens in a new tab)
- NVD (opens in a new tab)
- FIRST EPSS (opens in a new tab)
- EUVD EUVD-2024-0357 (opens in a new tab)
- OSV.dev (opens in a new tab)
- GitHub Advisory GHSA-ghm2-rq8q-wrhc (opens in a new tab)
- CIRCL Vulnerability-Lookup (opens in a new tab)
Badge for a README or a ticket
[](https://cveledger.app/cve/CVE-2023-52137)Record last updated .