Hunt: CI/CD Pipeline Attacks

Assumes hunt-core for the scope gate, two-account rule, confirmation gate, enumeration limits, stop conditions, wiki protocol, FIND output, and Deadends. Do not re-derive any of that here.

Wiki

qmd_query "CI/CD GitHub Actions pull_request_target pwn request script injection self-hosted runner OIDC cache poisoning" via wiki-search MCP

Hub: [[cloud-moc]] (live index). Primary page: [[cicd-github-actions]]. Payload arsenal: wiki/payloads/cicd.md. Anchors: [[supply-chain-attacks]], [[cloud-oidc-trust-abuse]] (OIDC role assumption off-box), [[cicd-attacks]] (cross-platform CI/CD).

Attack surface (ranked)

1. Pwn requests (pull_request_target / workflow_run) - the highest-value bug. A workflow that runs on pull_request_target, checks out the fork HEAD, and holds secrets executes attacker code in the trusted (secret-bearing) context. Fork, inject a build step, open a PR, exfil env / secrets / GITHUB_TOKEN.
2. Script injection via untrusted ${{ }} - github.event.* values (PR title, branch name, issue body, review comment) interpolated directly into a run: step. Attacker controls the string, so the string becomes shell.
3. Self-hosted runner takeover - non-ephemeral runners persist state between jobs and are shared across a repo/org pool. A pwn request or script injection landing on one is persistence and cross-repo reach, not a one-shot.
4. OIDC-to-cloud token theft - permissions: id-token: write mints a cloud-assumable JWT. Weak trust-policy sub scoping (wildcard repo/ref) lets a fork job assume the role off-box. Chains to hunt-cloud.

Signals to grep the repo for: .github/workflows with pull_request_target/workflow_run; untrusted ${{ github.event.* }} inside run:; self-hosted runner labels; id-token: write; actions/cache restored across trust boundaries.

Methodology

1. Enumerate workflows + triggers - gato / Gato-X, octoscan, poutine. Read every workflow end-to-end (each run:, each referenced action, each reusable-workflow uses:), not a keyword grep - the injectable sink hides in a called composite action.
2. Pwn request - a pull_request_target (or workflow_run) workflow that checks out the fork HEAD and holds secrets: fork, inject a build step, open a PR, exfil env / secrets / GITHUB_TOKEN to your sink.
3. Script injection - inject a"; <cmd>; # (or $(<cmd>) / backticks per shell) into a github.event.* value that lands in a run: step. Use a unique canary in the command output, per hunt-core marker discipline, so you can prove YOUR injection ran.
4. Self-hosted runner - non-ephemeral = persistence between jobs + cross-repo on a shared pool. Once you have execution, confirm the runner type (ephemeral vs long-lived) before claiming persistence.
5. Cache poisoning - a fork job writes an actions/cache entry that a trusted base job later restores, moving attacker-controlled content across the trust boundary.
6. OIDC theft - pull ACTIONS_ID_TOKEN_REQUEST_TOKEN / ACTIONS_ID_TOKEN_REQUEST_URL, request the JWT, assume the cloud role off-box; inspect trust-policy sub scoping for over-broad repo/ref wildcards. Hand off to hunt-cloud.
7. PPE (poisoned pipeline execution) - modify a Makefile / package.json / build script the pipeline runs, bypassing CODEOWNERS that only guards the workflow files themselves.
8. Confirm - see the confirmation gate below.
9. Distill (when confirmed) - reusable pwn-request / OIDC-theft / PPE technique, GENERIC, no client repo: python3 scripts/wiki-stage.py --kind technique --slug <slug> --target-page techniques/cloud/cicd-github-actions.md.

Confirmation gate

NOT confirmation: a workflow that merely looks injectable; a pull_request_target trigger present in isolation; untrusted ${{ }} sitting in a run: step you have not shown executing; id-token: write declared without an assumed role; "the PR ran" with no output proving your code ran; a secret name visible in the workflow YAML.

IS confirmation: your injected code/command actually executed in the pipeline's trusted context (canary command output in the job log), OR a secret / GITHUB_TOKEN / OIDC token actually exfiltrated to your sink, OR a cloud role actually assumed off-box (STS identity returned) - reproduced from your written steps.

Stop condition

A pipeline compromise is high-impact and persistent (secret-bearing context, shared runners, cloud roles). Per hunt-core stop conditions, once the primitive is proven, stop. Prove execution with a benign canary echo or an OOB callback; prove exfil against your own sink. Do NOT tamper with production artifacts, publish a release, push to a protected branch, or leave content that outlives the run. The demonstrated primitive is the finding; escalation past it adds risk, not payout.

Chaining

OIDC token theft or secret exfil hands off to hunt-cloud (assume the role, enumerate the account) - the CI/CD bug is the delivery, the cloud access is the impact. A leaked GITHUB_TOKEN with contents:write/packages:write chains to supply-chain reach ([[supply-chain-attacks]]).

Evasion

CODEOWNERS and required reviews typically guard .github/workflows/** only; PPE (step 7) reaches execution through a build script they do not cover. Branch-name and PR-title injection sidesteps content review entirely (the trigger fires before merge). Prefer workflow_run and cache paths when pull_request_target is locked down.

Severity

CRITICAL if OIDC-to-cloud role assumption or GITHUB_TOKEN/secret exfil; HIGH if pwn-request / script-injection RCE on a runner; MEDIUM if cache poisoning with limited reach.