CVE-2022-35954

@actions/core has Delimiter Injection Vulnerability in exportVariable

Workarounds

If you are unable to upgrade the @actions/core package, you can modify your action to ensure that any user input does not contain the delimiter _GitHubActionsFileCommandDelimeter_ before calling core.exportVariable.

References

More information about setting-an-environment-variable in workflows

If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:

• Open an issue in actions/toolkit

The core.exportVariable function uses a well known delimiter that attackers can use to break out of that specific variable and assign values to other arbitrary variables. Workflows that write untrusted values to the GITHUB_ENV file may cause the path or other environment variables to be modified without the intention of the workflow or action author.

Untrusted input is inserted into a command that is later executed by the application, allowing the attacker to alter the intent of that command. Typical impact: arbitrary command execution in the application's environment.

CVE-2022-35954 has a CVSS score of 5.0 (Medium). The vector is network-reachable, low privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (1.9.1); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Kodem intelligence

Already deployed Kodem?

Users should upgrade to @actions/core v1.9.1.

1. What is CVE-2022-35954? CVE-2022-35954 is a medium-severity command injection vulnerability in @actions/core (npm), affecting versions <= 1.9.0. It is fixed in 1.9.1. Untrusted input is inserted into a command that is later executed by the application, allowing the attacker to alter the intent of that command.
2. How severe is CVE-2022-35954? CVE-2022-35954 has a CVSS score of 5.0 (Medium). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
3. Which versions of @actions/core are affected by CVE-2022-35954? @actions/core (npm) versions <= 1.9.0 is affected.
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2022-35954? Yes. CVE-2022-35954 is fixed in 1.9.1. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is CVE-2022-35954 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2022-35954 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
6. What actually determines whether CVE-2022-35954 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
7. How do I fix CVE-2022-35954? Upgrade @actions/core to 1.9.1 or later.

Other vulnerabilities in @actions/core