GHSA-cxww-7g56-2vh6: Actions/download artifact @actions/download-artifact Has An Arbitrary File Vulnerability

HIGH
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CVSS 7.3
CWE-22
Published
Advisory Summary

GHSA-cxww-7g56-2vh6 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.3) @actions/download-artifact has an arbitrary file vulnerability (CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')) affecting Actions/download artifact libraries in the GitHub Actions ecosystem. The issue involves @actions/download-artifact has an arbitrary file write via artifact extraction. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 4.1.3.

GHSA-cxww-7g56-2vh6 at a Glance

CVE Identifier N/A
GHSA Identifier GHSA-cxww-7g56-2vh6
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.3
CWE Classification CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
Affected Product Actions/download artifact
Package Ecosystem GitHub Actions
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.3

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required Low (PR:L)
User Interaction Required (UI:R)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix GHSA-cxww-7g56-2vh6

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Actions/download artifact dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

actions/download-artifact fixed: 4.1.3 
Upgrade actions/download-artifact to 4.1.3
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

inspect dependencies for actions/download-artifact

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by GHSA-cxww-7g56-2vh6, inspect your project dependencies for Actions/download artifact:

inspect dependencies for actions/download-artifact

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Actions/download artifact in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 4.1.3), your application is affected.

Note: Verify declared build manifests and deployed runtime container environments.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal'), where the product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory. In Actions/download artifact, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

### 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. ### Patches Upgrade to version 4.1.3 or higher. Alternatively use 'v4' tag which points to the latest and secure version. ### References - https://snyk.io/research/zip-slip-vulnerability - https://github.com/actions/download-artifact/releases/tag/v4.1.3 - https://github.com/actions/download-artifact/pull/299 ### CVE CVE-2024-42471 ### Credits Justin Taft from Google

GHSA-cxww-7g56-2vh6 Affected Actions/download artifact Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
4.1.3
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
actions/download-artifact
 GitHub Actions
≥ 4.0.0
< 4.1.3
4.1.3

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/actions/download-artifact/security/advisories/GHSA-cxww-7g56-2vh6
Actions/download artifact Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/actions/download-artifact
Actions/download artifact Release RELEASE
https://github.com/actions/download-artifact/releases/tag/v4.1.3
GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-6q32-hq47-5qq3
snyk.io/research/zip-slip-v... WEB
https://snyk.io/research/zip-slip-vulnerability

Frequently Asked Questions

What is GHSA-cxww-7g56-2vh6?
GHSA-cxww-7g56-2vh6 is a security vulnerability in Actions/download artifact involving @actions/download-artifact has an Arbitrary File Write via artifact extraction under CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal').
Which Actions/download artifact versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 4.1.3 across affected packages: actions/download-artifact.
What version fixes GHSA-cxww-7g56-2vh6?
Upgrading to 4.1.3 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is actions/download-artifact affected?
Yes, actions/download-artifact is affected in releases prior to 4.1.3. Upgrade your dependency to 4.1.3 or later.
What is the CVSS score of GHSA-cxww-7g56-2vh6?
GHSA-cxww-7g56-2vh6 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.3 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N.
What CWE is associated with GHSA-cxww-7g56-2vh6?
GHSA-cxww-7g56-2vh6 is classified under CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') (The product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory.).
How can I check GitHub Actions dependencies for GHSA-cxww-7g56-2vh6?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for actions/download-artifact'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-cxww-7g56-2vh6",
  "modified" : "2025-01-22T17:31:55Z",
  "published" : "2024-09-03T20:55:34Z",
  "aliases" : [ ],
  "summary" : "@actions/download-artifact has an Arbitrary File Write via artifact extraction",
  "details" : "### Impact\n\nVersions 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.\n\n### Patches\n\nUpgrade to version 4.1.3 or higher. Alternatively use 'v4' tag which points to the latest and secure version.\n\n### References\n\n- https://snyk.io/research/zip-slip-vulnerability\n- https://github.com/actions/download-artifact/releases/tag/v4.1.3\n- https://github.com/actions/download-artifact/pull/299\n\n### CVE\n\nCVE-2024-42471\n\n### Credits\n\nJustin Taft from Google",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "GitHub Actions",
      "name" : "actions/download-artifact"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "4.0.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "4.1.3"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/actions/download-artifact/security/advisories/GHSA-cxww-7g56-2vh6"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/actions/download-artifact"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/actions/download-artifact/releases/tag/v4.1.3"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-6q32-hq47-5qq3"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://snyk.io/research/zip-slip-vulnerability"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-22" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2024-09-03T20:55:34Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}