CVE-2024-52587
Harden-Runner has command injection weaknesses in `setup.ts` and `arc-runner.ts`
StepSecurity's Harden-Runner provides network egress filtering and runtime security for GitHub-hosted and self-hosted runners. Versions of step-security/harden-runner prior to v2.10.2 contain multiple command injection weaknesses via environment variables that could potentially be exploited under specific conditions. However, due to the current execution order of pre-steps in GitHub Actions and the placement of harden-runner as the first step in a job, the likelihood of exploitation is low as the Harden-Runner action reads the environment variable during the pre-step stage. There are no known exploits at this time. Version 2.10.2 contains a patch.
Attack profile
How easy it is to exploit
- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges needed
- None
- User interaction
- None
What an attacker can affect
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- Low
Exploit likelihood
What each source reports
CVE List Score used
2.7
Harden-Runner has command injection weaknesses in `setup.ts` and `arc-runner.ts`
StepSecurity's Harden-Runner provides network egress filtering and runtime security for GitHub-hosted and self-hosted runners. Versions of step-security/harden-runner prior to v2.10.2 contain multiple command injection weaknesses via environment variables that could potentially be exploited under specific conditions. However, due to the current execution order of pre-steps in GitHub Actions and the placement of harden-runner as the first step in a job, the likelihood of exploitation is low as the Harden-Runner action reads the environment variable during the pre-step stage. There are no known exploits at this time. Version 2.10.2 contains a patch.
- Record
CVE-2024-52587- CVSS 4.0
- 2.7 Low
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:L/VI:L/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:U - CVSS 3.1
- 8.8 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - Weakness
- CWE-78
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2024-3251
2.7
StepSecurity's Harden-Runner provides network egress filtering and runtime security for GitHub-hosted and self-hosted runners. Versions of step-security/harden-runner prior to v2.10.2 contain multiple command injection weaknesses via environment variables that could potentially be exploited under specific conditions. However, due to the current execution order of pre-steps in GitHub Actions and the placement of harden-runner as the first step in a job, the likelihood of exploitation is low as the Harden-Runner action reads the environment variable during the pre-step stage. There are no known exploits at this time. Version 2.10.2 contains a patch.
- Record
EUVD-2024-3251- CVSS 4.0
- 2.7 Low
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:L/VI:L/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:U - Updated
- 2026-11-03
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-g85v-wf27-67xc
2.7
Harden-Runner has a command injection weaknesses in `setup.ts` and `arc-runner.ts`
Summary
Versions of step-security/harden-runner prior to v2.10.2 contain multiple command injection weaknesses via environment variables that could potentially be exploited under specific conditions. However, due to the current execution order of pre-steps in GitHub Actions and the placement of harden-runner as the first step in a job, the likelihood of exploitation is low as the Harden-Runner action reads the environment variable during the pre-step stage. There are no known exploits at this time.
Details
-
setup.ts:169 1 performs
execSyncwith a command that gets invoked after interpretation by the shell. This command includes an interpolatedprocess.env.USERvariable, which an attacker could modify (without actually creating a new user) to inject arbitrary shell expressions into thisexecSync. This may or may not be likely in practice, but I believe the hygienic way to perform the underlying operation is to useexecFileSyncor similar and bypass the underlying shell evaluation. -
setup.ts:229 2 has a nearly identical
execSyncto (1) above, but with$USERfor shell-level interpolation rather than string interpolation. However, this is still injectable and would be best replaced by anexecFileSync, per above. -
arc-runner:40-44 3 has an
execSyncwith multiple string interpolations. Most of these do not appear immediately injectible (since they appear to come from presumed trusted API responses), but the expansion ofgetRunnerTempDir()may be injectable due to its dependence on potentially attacker-controllable environment variables (e.g.RUNNER_TEMP). The underlying operation appears to be a trivial file copy, so this entire subprocess should in theory be replaceable with ordinary NodeJSfsAPI calls instead. -
arc-runner:53 4 demonstrates the same weakness, and has the same resolution as (3).
-
arc-runner:57 demonstrates the same weakness as (3) and (4), and has the same resolution.
-
arc-runner:61 demonstrates the same weakness as (3), (4), and (5), and has the same resolution.
- Record
GHSA-g85v-wf27-67xc- CVSS 4.0
- 2.7 Low
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:L/VI:L/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:U/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X - CVSS 3.1
- 8.8 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - Weakness
- CWE-78
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
NVD
2.7
StepSecurity's Harden-Runner provides network egress filtering and runtime security for GitHub-hosted and self-hosted runners. Versions of step-security/harden-runner prior to v2.10.2 contain multiple command injection weaknesses via environment variables that could potentially be exploited under specific conditions. However, due to the current execution order of pre-steps in GitHub Actions and the placement of harden-runner as the first step in a job, the likelihood of exploitation is low as the Harden-Runner action reads the environment variable during the pre-step stage. There are no known exploits at this time. Version 2.10.2 contains a patch.
- Record
CVE-2024-52587- CVSS 4.0
- 2.7 Low
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:L/VI:L/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:U/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X - CVSS 3.1
- 8.8 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - Weakness
- CWE-78
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSV
2.7
Harden-Runner has command injection weaknesses in `setup.ts` and `arc-runner.ts`
StepSecurity's Harden-Runner provides network egress filtering and runtime security for GitHub-hosted and self-hosted runners. Versions of step-security/harden-runner prior to v2.10.2 contain multiple command injection weaknesses via environment variables that could potentially be exploited under specific conditions. However, due to the current execution order of pre-steps in GitHub Actions and the placement of harden-runner as the first step in a job, the likelihood of exploitation is low as the Harden-Runner action reads the environment variable during the pre-step stage. There are no known exploits at this time. Version 2.10.2 contains a patch.
- Record
CVE-2024-52587- CVSS 4.0
- 2.7 Low
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:L/VI:L/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:U - Weakness
- CWE-78
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVGHSA-g85v-wf27-67xc
2.7
Harden-Runner has a command injection weaknesses in `setup.ts` and `arc-runner.ts`
Summary
Versions of step-security/harden-runner prior to v2.10.2 contain multiple command injection weaknesses via environment variables that could potentially be exploited under specific conditions. However, due to the current execution order of pre-steps in GitHub Actions and the placement of harden-runner as the first step in a job, the likelihood of exploitation is low as the Harden-Runner action reads the environment variable during the pre-step stage. There are no known exploits at this time.
Details
-
setup.ts:169 1 performs
execSyncwith a command that gets invoked after interpretation by the shell. This command includes an interpolatedprocess.env.USERvariable, which an attacker could modify (without actually creating a new user) to inject arbitrary shell expressions into thisexecSync. This may or may not be likely in practice, but I believe the hygienic way to perform the underlying operation is to useexecFileSyncor similar and bypass the underlying shell evaluation. -
setup.ts:229 2 has a nearly identical
execSyncto (1) above, but with$USERfor shell-level interpolation rather than string interpolation. However, this is still injectable and would be best replaced by anexecFileSync, per above. -
arc-runner:40-44 3 has an
execSyncwith multiple string interpolations. Most of these do not appear immediately injectible (since they appear to come from presumed trusted API responses), but the expansion ofgetRunnerTempDir()may be injectable due to its dependence on potentially attacker-controllable environment variables (e.g.RUNNER_TEMP). The underlying operation appears to be a trivial file copy, so this entire subprocess should in theory be replaceable with ordinary NodeJSfsAPI calls instead. -
arc-runner:53 4 demonstrates the same weakness, and has the same resolution as (3).
-
arc-runner:57 demonstrates the same weakness as (3) and (4), and has the same resolution.
-
arc-runner:61 demonstrates the same weakness as (3), (4), and (5), and has the same resolution.
- Record
GHSA-g85v-wf27-67xc- CVSS 4.0
- 2.7 Low
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:L/VI:L/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:U/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X - CVSS 3.1
- 8.8 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - Weakness
- CWE-78
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
Affected products
Affected packages
| Package | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|
step-security/harden-runnerGitHub Actions |
before 2.10.2 | 2.10.2 |
History
| Recorded | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| aliases, published | EUVD | |
| first indexed | CVE List, GitHub Advisories, NVD, OSV |
Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.
In short
CVE-2024-52587 is a low vulnerability (CVSS 2.7) in Step-security Harden-runner, published November 18, 2024. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 2.76%, the 86th percentile. Fixed in step-security/harden-runner 2.10.2.
References
github.com/step-security/harden-runner/security/advisories/GHSA-g85v-wf27-67xc
github.com/step-security/harden-runner/commit/0080882f6c36860b6ba35c610c98ce87d4e2f26f
github.com/step-security/harden-runner/blob/951b48540b429070694bc8abd82fd6901eb123ca/src/arc-runner.ts
github.com/step-security/harden-runner/blob/951b48540b429070694bc8abd82fd6901eb123ca/src/setup.ts
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-52587
github.com/advisories/GHSA-g85v-wf27-67xc
github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/tree/main/cves/2024/52xxx/CVE-2024-52587.json
github.com/step-security/harden-runner