CVE-2021-21423

mediumpriority · track · 42EPSS 0.014 · 72 %ileexploit · PoCEUUS
grimoire priorityP1 · Urgent
Exploitable?
Public exploit
1 exploit · PoC
Likely / severe?
1.39% (72nd) EPSS
CVSS 5.5 · medium
Is it mine?
4 products
Check your exposure
Who says so?
4 sources
cnnvd · enisa_euvd · osv · nvd

EPSS · scored 2026-10-26

`projen` is a project generation tool that synthesizes project configuration files such as `package.json`, `tsconfig.json`, `.gitignore`, GitHub Workflows, `eslint`, `jest`, and more, from a well-typed definition written in JavaScript. Users of projen's `NodeProject` project type (including any project type derived from it) include a `.github/workflows/rebuild-bot.yml` workflow that may allow any GitHub user to trigger execution of un-trusted code in the context of the "main" repository (as opposed to that of a fork). In some situations, such untrusted code may potentially be able to commit to the "main" repository. The rebuild-bot workflow is triggered by comments including `@projen rebuild` on pull-request to trigger a re-build of the projen project, and updating the pull request with the updated files. This workflow is triggered by an `issue_comment` event, and thus always executes with a `GITHUB_TOKEN` belonging to the repository into which the pull-request is made (this is in contrast with workflows triggered by `pull_request` events, which always execute with a `GITHUB_TOKEN` belonging to the repository from which the pull-request is made). Repositories that do not have branch protection configured on their default branch (typically `main` or `master`) could possibly allow an untrusted user to gain access to secrets configured on the repository (such as NPM tokens, etc). Branch protection prohibits this escalation, as the managed `GITHUB_TOKEN` would not be able to modify the contents of a protected branch and affected workflows must be defined on the default branch.

01

cvss

Technical severity, 0–10. One row per scoring source.

8.1
010

base score 0–10 · higher = more severe · hover a vector to decode⚠ sources disagree · medium–high · 5.5–8.1

v2.05.5mediumAV:N/AC:L/Au:S/C:P/I:P/A:Nprimary · NVD / NIST USexploitability 8 · impact 4.9
v3.18.1highCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:Nprimary · NVD / NIST USexploitability 2.8 · impact 5.2
v3.16.8mediumCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:Nsecondary · ENISA EU
v3.16.8mediumCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:Nsecondary · security-advisories@github.comexploitability 1.6 · impact 5.2
v3.16.8mediumCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:Nsecondary · OSV
v3.17.7highCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N/E:Psecondary · CVSS-BT (t0sche)
02

weaknesses

The CWE weakness classes this flaw belongs to.

03

exploits (1)

Public proof-of-concept and weaponised exploit code.

04

affected products (4)

Products and version ranges known to be affected.

05

advisories (2)

Vendor and ecosystem advisories describing this.

  • GHSA-gg2g-m5wc-vccqRebuild-bot workflow may allow unauthorised repository modifications2021-04-06ghsa · osvUS

    ### Impact `projen` is a project generation tool that synthesizes project configuration files such as `package.json`, `tsconfig.json`, `.gitignore`, GitHub Workflows, `eslint`, `jest`, and more, from a well-typed definition written in JavaScript. Users of projen's `NodeProject` project type (including any project type derived from it) include a `.github/workflows/rebuild-bot.yml` workflow that may allow any GitHub user to trigger execution of un-trusted code in the context of the "main" repository (as opposed to that of a fork). In some situations, such untrusted code may potentially be able to commit to the "main" repository. The rebuild-bot workflow is triggered by comments including `@projen rebuild` on pull-request to trigger a re-build of the projen project, and updating the pull request with the updated files. This workflow is triggered by an `issue_comment` event, and thus always executes with a `GITHUB_TOKEN` belonging to the repository into which the pull-request is made (this is in contrast with workflows triggered by `pull_request` events, which always execute with a `GITHUB_TOKEN` belonging to the repository from which the pull-request is made). Repositories that do not have branch protection configured on their default branch (typically `main` or `master`) could possibly allow an untrusted user to gain access to secrets configured on the repository (such as NPM tokens, etc). Branch protection prohibits this escalation, as the managed `GITHUB_TOKEN` would not be able to modify the contents of a protected branch and affected workflows must be defined on the default branch. ### Patches The issue was mitigated in version `0.16.41` of the `projen` tool, which removes the `issue_comment` trigger from this workflow. Version `0.17.0` of projen completely removes the `rebuild-bot.yml` workflow. ### Workarounds The recommended way to address the vulnerability is to upgrade `projen`. Users who cannot upgrade `projen` may also remove the `.github/workflows/rebuild-bot.yml` file and add it to their `.gitignore` file (via `projenrc.js`) to mitigate the issue. ### References The `rebuild-bot.yml` workflow managed by `projen` is only one occurrence of a GitHub Workflows mis-configuration, but it may also be present in other workflows not managed by `projen` (either hand-written, or managed by other tools). For more information on this class of issues, the [Keeping your GitHub Actions and workflows secure: Preventing pwn requests][1] article provides a great overview of the problem. [1]: https://securitylab.github.com/research/github-actions-preventing-pwn-requests

  • PYSEC-2021-1112021-04-06vendor · osvUS

    `projen` is a project generation tool that synthesizes project configuration files such as `package.json`, `tsconfig.json`, `.gitignore`, GitHub Workflows, `eslint`, `jest`, and more, from a well-typed definition written in JavaScript. Users of projen's `NodeProject` project type (including any project type derived from it) include a `.github/workflows/rebuild-bot.yml` workflow that may allow any GitHub user to trigger execution of un-trusted code in the context of the "main" repository (as opposed to that of a fork). In some situations, such untrusted code may potentially be able to commit to the "main" repository. The rebuild-bot workflow is triggered by comments including `@projen rebuild` on pull-request to trigger a re-build of the projen project, and updating the pull request with the updated files. This workflow is triggered by an `issue_comment` event, and thus always executes with a `GITHUB_TOKEN` belonging to the repository into which the pull-request is made (this is in contrast with workflows triggered by `pull_request` events, which always execute with a `GITHUB_TOKEN` belonging to the repository from which the pull-request is made). Repositories that do not have branch protection configured on their default branch (typically `main` or `master`) could possibly allow an untrusted user to gain access to secrets configured on the repository (such as NPM tokens, etc). Branch protection prohibits this escalation, as the managed `GITHUB_TOKEN` would not be able to modify the contents of a protected branch and affected workflows must be defined on the default branch.

06

also known as (6)

Other names and identifiers for this entity.

07

sources

Which sources assert this record, and when.

published 2021-04-06modified 2026-06-17
08

references (10)

External citations — patches, advisories, analysis.

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