# CVE-2023-26493: Command Injection in Cocos Engine workflow

> Attackers could inject commands via pull request branch names in Cocos Engine's CI workflow to execute code and steal secrets.

- **Severity:** High 8.1 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 27 Mar 2023
- **Updated:** 19 Feb 2025

## What is CVE-2023-26493?

CVE-2023-26493 is a high-severity command injection vulnerability in cocos-engine, published on 27 Mar 2023. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Cocos Engine is an open-source framework for building 2D & 3D real-time rendering and interactive content. In the github repo for Cocos Engine the `web-interface-check.yml` was subject to command injection. The `web-interface-check.yml` was triggered when a pull request was opened or updated and contained the user controllable field `(${{ github.head_ref }} – the name of the fork’s branch)`. This would allow an attacker to take over the GitHub Runner and run custom commands (potentially stealing secrets such as GITHUB_TOKEN) and altering the repository. The workflow has since been removed for the repository. There are no actions required of users.

Weakness: CWE-77 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a Command), CWE-74 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-26493?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Cocos Cocos-Engine.

## How do I fix CVE-2023-26493?

No fix has been published for CVE-2023-26493 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2023-26493 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2023-26493 exists.

Public exploit code:

- Authorized lab reproduction of CVE-2023-26493 (GHSL-2023-027): command injection via github.head_ref in cocos-engine's <Web> Interface check pull_request_target workflow (github_poc): https://github.com/pvharmo2/gha-lab-fb32aba4a3

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2023-26493 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2023-26493 is a high-severity command injection vulnerability in cocos-engine, published on 27 Mar 2023. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2023-26493 exists.

Affected product: cocos-engine. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-26493/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-26493/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-26493
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-26493
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-26493

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-26493/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.