CVE-2026-44723: CWE-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection') in VowpalWabbit vowpal_wabbit
Vowpal Wabbit is a machine learning system. The workflow .github/workflows/python_checks.yml embeds ${{ github.event.pull_request.title }} directly inside double-quoted bash strings in four separate steps across four jobs, each passing it as a CLI argument to the Python test script run_tests_model_gen_and_load.py. The shell interprets the expanded string before invoking Python, allowing an attacker to break out of the quotes and execute arbitrary commands on the runner. The pull_request trigger fires on PRs targeting any branch (branches: ['*']), with no additional access gate. This vulnerability is fixed by the 998e390e80a7e8192d7849b7784bc113dbd190ad commit.
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
Vowpal Wabbit's GitHub workflow file python_checks.yml improperly embeds the pull request title directly into bash command strings used in multiple jobs. Because the shell interprets these strings before invoking the Python test script, an attacker controlling the pull request title can break out of the quoted context and execute arbitrary OS commands on the runner. This constitutes an OS command injection vulnerability (CWE-78). The issue affects versions before commit 998e390e80a7e8192d7849b7784bc113dbd190ad, which contains the fix. The vulnerability is triggered by pull requests on any branch without additional gating, increasing exposure risk.
Potential Impact
An attacker able to create a pull request can execute arbitrary commands on the GitHub Actions runner hosting the workflow. This could lead to unauthorized code execution within the CI environment. The impact is limited to the runner environment and does not directly affect confidentiality, integrity, or availability of the Vowpal Wabbit software itself. The CVSS score of 5 reflects a medium severity with low complexity and limited privileges required (PR creation). No known exploitation in the wild has been reported.
Mitigation Recommendations
The vulnerability is fixed in commit 998e390e80a7e8192d7849b7784bc113dbd190ad. Users should update to this commit or later to remediate the issue. Until patched, restricting who can create pull requests or adding validation/sanitization of pull request titles in the workflow can reduce risk. Since no official remediation level is provided, users should consult the vendor repository for the fix and apply it promptly.
CVE-2026-44723: CWE-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection') in VowpalWabbit vowpal_wabbit
Description
Vowpal Wabbit is a machine learning system. The workflow .github/workflows/python_checks.yml embeds ${{ github.event.pull_request.title }} directly inside double-quoted bash strings in four separate steps across four jobs, each passing it as a CLI argument to the Python test script run_tests_model_gen_and_load.py. The shell interprets the expanded string before invoking Python, allowing an attacker to break out of the quotes and execute arbitrary commands on the runner. The pull_request trigger fires on PRs targeting any branch (branches: ['*']), with no additional access gate. This vulnerability is fixed by the 998e390e80a7e8192d7849b7784bc113dbd190ad commit.
CVSS v3.1
Score 5.0medium
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
Vowpal Wabbit's GitHub workflow file python_checks.yml improperly embeds the pull request title directly into bash command strings used in multiple jobs. Because the shell interprets these strings before invoking the Python test script, an attacker controlling the pull request title can break out of the quoted context and execute arbitrary OS commands on the runner. This constitutes an OS command injection vulnerability (CWE-78). The issue affects versions before commit 998e390e80a7e8192d7849b7784bc113dbd190ad, which contains the fix. The vulnerability is triggered by pull requests on any branch without additional gating, increasing exposure risk.
Potential Impact
An attacker able to create a pull request can execute arbitrary commands on the GitHub Actions runner hosting the workflow. This could lead to unauthorized code execution within the CI environment. The impact is limited to the runner environment and does not directly affect confidentiality, integrity, or availability of the Vowpal Wabbit software itself. The CVSS score of 5 reflects a medium severity with low complexity and limited privileges required (PR creation). No known exploitation in the wild has been reported.
Mitigation Recommendations
The vulnerability is fixed in commit 998e390e80a7e8192d7849b7784bc113dbd190ad. Users should update to this commit or later to remediate the issue. Until patched, restricting who can create pull requests or adding validation/sanitization of pull request titles in the workflow can reduce risk. Since no official remediation level is provided, users should consult the vendor repository for the fix and apply it promptly.
Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.2
- Assigner Short Name
- GitHub_M
- Date Reserved
- 2026-05-07T18:04:17.308Z
- Cvss Version
- 3.1
- State
- PUBLISHED
- Remediation Level
- null
Threat ID: 6a15d22e891d628fdc60088d
Added to database: 05/26/2026, 17:02:38 UTC
Last enriched: 06/02/2026, 21:03:30 UTC
Last updated: 07/31/2026, 19:22:59 UTC
Views: 64
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