act vulnerable to arbitrary file upload in artifact server
Published Jan 20, 2023 · Updated Nov 3, 2026
Original summary
Normalized public record · Updated Nov 3, 2026
act vulnerable to arbitrary file upload in artifact server
Publisher and source text is retained separately from QFinch interpretation.
QFinch assessment
The artifact server that stores artifacts from Github Action runs does not sanitize path inputs. This allows an attacker to download and overwrite arbitrary files on the host from a Github Action. This issue may lead to privilege escalation.
Potential impact
The artifact server that stores artifacts from Github Action runs does not sanitize path inputs. This allows an attacker to download and overwrite arbitrary files on the host from a Github Action. This issue may lead to privilege escalation. Issue 1: Arbitrary file upload in artifact server (GHSL-2023-004) The /upload endpoint is vulnerable to path traversal as filepath is user controlled, and ultimately flows into os.Mkdir and os.Open. Issue 2: Arbitrary file download in artifact server (GHSL-2023-004) The /artifact endpoint is vulnerable to path traversal as the path is variable is user controlled, and the specified file is ultimately returned by the server. Proof of Concept Below I have written a Github Action that will upload secret.txt into the folder above the specified artifact directory. The first call to curl will create the directory named 1 if it does not already exist, and the second call to curl will upload the secret.txt file to the directory above the specified artifact directory. When testing this POC, the --artifact-server-path parameter must be passed to act in order to enable the artifact server. Replace yourIPandPort with the IP and port of the server. An attacker can enumerate /proc/net/tcp in order to find the artifact server IP and port, but this is out of the scope of this report. Please let me know if you would like a copy of this script.
Evidence: public source recordsAffected products
| Affected package, product or range | Fix status |
|---|---|
| Consult the referenced vendor advisory for affected versions. | Consult source advisory |
Matching a version is only one part of assessing exposure. QFinch has not assessed your environment on this public page.
Remediation
Apply the vendor-supported fixed release or mitigation, then verify the affected component is no longer reachable.
- Confirm the affected product and reachable code path exist in your environment.
- Apply the vendor-supported patch or mitigation from the primary advisory.
- Rescan the exact deployed revision and retain verification evidence.
Evidence coverage
- SSVC priority
- MEDIUM
- Confidence
- Not available
- Aliases
- None reported
Scores appear only when corresponding evidence exists. Missing data is never interpreted as zero risk.
Sources and record history
- Security advisory ↗
- Source repository ↗
- Patch commit ↗
- Source repository ↗
- Source repository ↗
- Source repository ↗
- https://securitylab.github.com/advisories/GHSL-2023-004_act/ ↗
Record history
Published Jan 20, 2023 · Last refreshed Nov 3, 2026