VulnerabilityPublished 15 Mar 2025Updated 26 Feb 2026

CVE-2025-30066: tj-actions changed-files · Embedded Malicious Code

Affects tj-actions changed-filesSource CVE Database V5

Exploited in the wild · KEV due 8 Apr 2025 · 72% EPSS : apply the vendor's fix or mitigations to tj-actions changed-files now.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 11:42 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

8.6High

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

KEV deadline: 8 Apr 2025 US federal agencies must patch by this date; a sensible deadline for everyone else.
EPSS: 72.0% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 99% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Scope: Changed
Confidentiality: High
Integrity: None
Availability: None

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Network: The vulnerable component is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed, up to and including the entire Internet. Such a vulnerability is often termed 'remotely exploitable' and can be thought of as an attack being exploitable at the protocol level one or more network hops away (e.g., across one or more routers).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: None: The attacker is unauthorized prior to attack, and therefore does not require any access to settings or files to carry out an attack.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Changed: An exploited vulnerability can affect resources beyond the security scope managed by the security authority of the vulnerable component. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are different and managed by different security authorities.
Confidentiality: High: There is total loss of confidentiality, resulting in all resources within the impacted component being divulged to the attacker. Alternatively, access to only some restricted information is obtained, but the disclosed information presents a direct, serious impact.
Integrity: None: There is no loss of integrity within the impacted component.
Availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the impacted component.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

t = 0 is the CVE’s publication on cve.org

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 15 Mar 2025
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: evidence found.
Listed in CISA KEV 3 days after disclosure
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

CVE published
on cve.org
15 Mar 2025, t = 0
Added to CISA KEV (opens in a new tab)
exploitation confirmed
18 Mar 2025, 3 days after disclosure
KEV remediation due
US federal deadline
8 Apr 2025, 24 days after disclosure

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), CISA KEV (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 26 Oct 2026.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC or the CVSS exploit maturity reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Apply mitigations as set forth in the CISA instructions linked below. Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
GitHubtj-actions/changed-files`pkg:github/tj-actions/changed-files`Other threats	Affected =1	Fixed in–

Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.

Description

tj-actions changed-files before 46 allows remote attackers to discover secrets by reading actions logs. (The tags v1 through v45.0.7 were affected on 2025-03-14 and 2025-03-15 because they were modified by a threat actor to point at commit 0e58ed8, which contained malicious updateFeatures code.)

Impact

The primary impact of CVE-2025-30066 is the unauthorized disclosure of sensitive secrets such as API keys, tokens, or credentials stored or exposed in GitHub Actions logs. This can lead to further compromise of organizational assets, including cloud infrastructure, internal services, or third-party integrations. Since the vulnerability requires no authentication or user interaction, attackers can remotely access logs and extract secrets, potentially leading to lateral movement, data breaches, or service disruptions. The scope change in the CVSS vector indicates that the vulnerability affects components beyond the immediate changed-files action, possibly impacting the entire CI/CD pipeline's security posture. Organizations relying on affected versions may face compliance violations, reputational damage, and operational risks if secrets are leaked. The lack of known exploits in the wild suggests that proactive patching can prevent exploitation, but the malicious commit's presence in official releases means many users might have been exposed unknowingly.

Mitigation

1. Immediately upgrade tj-actions changed-files to version 46 or later, which removes the malicious commit and fixes the vulnerability. 2. Audit all GitHub Actions logs generated between March 14-15, 2025, for any exposed secrets and rotate any credentials or tokens that may have been leaked. 3. Implement strict access controls on GitHub Actions logs to limit who can view sensitive information. 4. Use GitHub's secret scanning and monitoring tools to detect any leaked secrets in repositories or logs. 5. Employ ephemeral or short-lived secrets in CI/CD pipelines to minimize the impact of potential leaks. 6. Review and harden CI/CD workflows to avoid logging sensitive information unnecessarily. 7. Monitor threat intelligence sources for any emerging exploits targeting this vulnerability. 8. Consider implementing additional runtime security controls to detect anomalous access to logs or secrets. 9. Educate development and DevOps teams about the risks of embedded malicious code and the importance of verifying third-party action integrity.

CWE-506Embedded Malicious Code (opens in a new tab)
Class weaknessOWASP Top 10 A08:2025: Software or Data Integrity Failures (opens in a new tab)
The product contains code that appears to be malicious in nature.
Implementation · Operation
Remove the malicious code and start an effort to ensure that no more malicious code exists. This may require a detailed review of all code, as it is possible to hide a serious attack in only one or two lines of code.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
Software Supply Chain Security (opens in a new tab)
Infrastructure as Code (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
Infected Software (opens in a new tab)
Embed Virus into DLL (opens in a new tab)
Hiding Malicious Data or Code within Files (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

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Exploitation evidence

Timeline

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 27 Feb 2026, 00:03 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-506

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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