What is GHSA-CXWW-7G56-2VH6?

GHSA-CXWW-7G56-2VH6 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in actions/download-artifact (actions), affecting versions >= 4.0.0, < 4.1.3. It is fixed in 4.1.3. Input manipulates file paths to reach files outside the intended directory, such as configuration or credential files.

How severe is GHSA-CXWW-7G56-2VH6?

GHSA-CXWW-7G56-2VH6 has a CVSS score of 7.3 (High). 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.

Which versions of actions/download-artifact are affected by GHSA-CXWW-7G56-2VH6?

actions/download-artifact (actions) versions >= 4.0.0, < 4.1.3 is affected.

Is there a fix for GHSA-CXWW-7G56-2VH6?

Yes. GHSA-CXWW-7G56-2VH6 is fixed in 4.1.3. Upgrade to this version or later.

Is GHSA-CXWW-7G56-2VH6 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether GHSA-CXWW-7G56-2VH6 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.

What actually determines whether GHSA-CXWW-7G56-2VH6 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.

How do I fix GHSA-CXWW-7G56-2VH6?

Upgrade actions/download-artifact to 4.1.3 or later.

GHSA-CXWW-7G56-2VH6 in actions/download-artifact

Q: How severe is GHSA-CXWW-7G56-2VH6?

GHSA-CXWW-7G56-2VH6 has a CVSS score of 7.3 (High). 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.

Q: Which versions of actions/download-artifact are affected by GHSA-CXWW-7G56-2VH6?

actions/download-artifact (actions) versions >= 4.0.0, < 4.1.3 is affected.

Q: Is there a fix for GHSA-CXWW-7G56-2VH6?

Yes. GHSA-CXWW-7G56-2VH6 is fixed in 4.1.3. Upgrade to this version or later.

Q: Is GHSA-CXWW-7G56-2VH6 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether GHSA-CXWW-7G56-2VH6 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.

Q: What actually determines whether GHSA-CXWW-7G56-2VH6 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.

Q: How do I fix GHSA-CXWW-7G56-2VH6?

Upgrade actions/download-artifact to 4.1.3 or later.

Summary

@actions/download-artifact has an Arbitrary File Write via artifact extraction

References

CVE

CVE-2024-42471

Credits

Justin Taft from Google

Impact

Versions of actions/download-artifact before 4.1.3 are vulnerable to arbitrary file write when downloading and extracting a specifically crafted artifact that contains path traversal filenames.

Input manipulates file paths to reach files outside the intended directory, such as configuration or credential files. Typical impact: unauthorized file read or write outside the intended directory.

GHSA-CXWW-7G56-2VH6 has a CVSS score of 7.3 (High). The vector is network-reachable, low privileges required, and user interaction required. 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 (4.1.3); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Affected versions

actions/download-artifact (>= 4.0.0, < 4.1.3)

Security releases

actions/download-artifact → 4.1.3 (actions)

Kodem intelligence

Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.

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. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.

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Remediation advice

Upgrade to version 4.1.3 or higher. Alternatively use 'v4' tag which points to the latest and secure version.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is GHSA-CXWW-7G56-2VH6? GHSA-CXWW-7G56-2VH6 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in actions/download-artifact (actions), affecting versions >= 4.0.0, < 4.1.3. It is fixed in 4.1.3. Input manipulates file paths to reach files outside the intended directory, such as configuration or credential files.
How severe is GHSA-CXWW-7G56-2VH6? GHSA-CXWW-7G56-2VH6 has a CVSS score of 7.3 (High). 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.
Which versions of actions/download-artifact are affected by GHSA-CXWW-7G56-2VH6? actions/download-artifact (actions) versions >= 4.0.0, < 4.1.3 is affected.
Is there a fix for GHSA-CXWW-7G56-2VH6? Yes. GHSA-CXWW-7G56-2VH6 is fixed in 4.1.3. Upgrade to this version or later.
Is GHSA-CXWW-7G56-2VH6 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether GHSA-CXWW-7G56-2VH6 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
What actually determines whether GHSA-CXWW-7G56-2VH6 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.
How do I fix GHSA-CXWW-7G56-2VH6? Upgrade actions/download-artifact to 4.1.3 or later.