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CVE-2021-32638 Detail

Description

Github's CodeQL action is provided to run CodeQL-based code scanning on non-GitHub CI/CD systems and requires a GitHub access token to connect to a GitHub repository. The runner and its documentation previously suggested passing the GitHub token as a command-line parameter to the process instead of reading it from a file, standard input, or an environment variable. This approach made the token visible to other processes on the same machine, for example in the output of the `ps` command. If the CI system publicly exposes the output of `ps`, for example by logging the output, then the GitHub access token can be exposed beyond the scope intended. Users of the CodeQL runner on 3rd-party systems, who are passing a GitHub token via the `--github-auth` flag, are affected. This applies to both GitHub.com and GitHub Enterprise users. Users of the CodeQL Action on GitHub Actions are not affected. The `--github-auth` flag is now considered insecure and deprecated. The undocumented `--external-repository-token` flag has been removed. To securely provide a GitHub access token to the CodeQL runner, users should **do one of the following instead**: Use the `--github-auth-stdin` flag and pass the token on the command line via standard input OR set the `GITHUB_TOKEN` environment variable to contain the token, then call the command without passing in the token. The old flag remains present for backwards compatibility with existing workflows. If the user tries to specify an access token using the `--github-auth` flag, there is a deprecation warning printed to the terminal that directs the user to one of the above options. All CodeQL runner releases codeql-bundle-20210304 onwards contain the patches. We recommend updating to a recent version of the CodeQL runner, storing a token in your CI system's secret storage mechanism, and passing the token to the CodeQL runner using `--github-auth-stdin` or the `GITHUB_TOKEN` environment variable. If still using the old flag, ensure that process output, such as from `ps`, is not persisted in CI logs.


Metrics

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CVSS 4.0 Severity and Vector Strings:

NIST CVSS score
NIST: NVD
N/A
NVD assessment not yet provided.

References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools

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Hyperlink Resource
https://github.com/github/codeql-action/commit/58defc0652e935f6f2ffc70a82828b98d75476fb Patch  Third Party Advisory 
https://github.com/github/codeql-action/commit/58defc0652e935f6f2ffc70a82828b98d75476fb Patch  Third Party Advisory 
https://github.com/github/codeql-action/commit/88714e3a60e72ec53caa0e6a203652ee1f3fb1db Patch  Third Party Advisory 
https://github.com/github/codeql-action/commit/88714e3a60e72ec53caa0e6a203652ee1f3fb1db Patch  Third Party Advisory 
https://github.com/github/codeql-action/releases/tag/codeql-bundle-20210304 Third Party Advisory 
https://github.com/github/codeql-action/releases/tag/codeql-bundle-20210304 Third Party Advisory 
https://github.com/github/codeql-action/security/advisories/GHSA-g36v-2xff-pv5m Exploit  Mitigation  Patch  Third Party Advisory 
https://github.com/github/codeql-action/security/advisories/GHSA-g36v-2xff-pv5m Exploit  Mitigation  Patch  Third Party Advisory 
https://www.netmeister.org/blog/passing-passwords.html Third Party Advisory 
https://www.netmeister.org/blog/passing-passwords.html Third Party Advisory 

Weakness Enumeration

CWE-ID CWE Name Source
CWE-200 Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor cwe source acceptance level NIST   GitHub, Inc.  
CWE-214 Invocation of Process Using Visible Sensitive Information GitHub, Inc.  

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Change History

5 change records found show changes

Quick Info

CVE Dictionary Entry:
CVE-2021-32638
NVD Published Date:
05/25/2021
NVD Last Modified:
11/21/2024
Source:
GitHub, Inc.