CVE-2026-54160 Network UPS Tools: A PWN Request in make-dist workflow can execute PR-controlled code with write-scoped GITHUB_TOKEN

High 8.2 Published Updated

A malicious pull request can execute arbitrary code in the CI workflow, stealing the write-scoped GitHub token to modify repository contents and statuses.

Exploited in the wild
Not known
Login needed
Not needed
Attackable
Over the internet
Victim action needed
A user has to click or open something
Fix
None listed

What is CVE-2026-54160?

CVE-2026-54160 is a high-severity code injection vulnerability in networkupstools nut, published on 28 Sep 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

Official description

Network UPS Tools is a collection of programs which provide a common interface for monitoring and administering UPS, PDU and SCD hardware. Prior to commits 658b24e and 1aa31d1, the GitHub Actions script used to prepare NUT tarballs and update GitHub Checks statuses and PR comments about it was mis-structured in terms of mixing code running with higher privileges (single-use token generated with write permissions) and untrusted inputs (PR source branch). A malicious PR run from a fork could extract the GITHUB_TOKEN value. It could potentially be abused while it was valid (while the GHA job ran) to manipulate Git repository contents, commit checks/statuses, or issue/PR comments, according to permissions it was issued with. This issue has been patched via commits 658b24e and 1aa31d1.

Weakness: CWE-829

Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-54160?

How do I fix CVE-2026-54160?

No fix has been published for CVE-2026-54160 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

Upgrade, and never evaluate templates, expressions or code built from user input. More about Code injection.

Is CVE-2026-54160 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-54160 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Sources

Also known as GHSA-w6wj-3r73-fxmh.

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