CVE-2023-52137: GitHub Action tj-actions/verify-changed-files is vulnerable to command injection in output filenames

Severity: high (CVSS 8.8 v3.1)
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 2.6% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: yes
Published: 2023-12-29 · updated 2026-06-17
Weakness: CWE-20

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.

Affected products

tj-actions verify-changed-files: before 17.0.0 — fixed in 17.0.0

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: tj-actions verify-changed-files 17.0.0. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

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