Cyber Resilience

CVE-2023-30628

RCE in Kiwitcms Kiwi Tcms ≤ 12.2

Published
24 April 2023
Modified
21 November 2024
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 8.8
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS Score 0.036 88th percentile
Risk Priority 74 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2023-30628 is a high-severity OS Command Injection (CWE-78) vulnerability in Kiwitcms Kiwi Tcms. Its CVSS base score is 8.8 (High).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Command and Scripting Interpreter (T1059); ranked in the top 12% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.

Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary

Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.

Kiwi TCMS, an open source test management system, contains a command-injection vulnerability in the changelog.yml GitHub Actions workflow. The flaw affects kiwitcms/Kiwi and kiwitcms/enterprise versions 12.2 and earlier and stems from unsafe use of the attacker-controlled github.head_ref field, which is interpolated directly into a shell command without sanitization, corresponding to CWE-78.

An authenticated user with write access to the repository can supply a malicious branch name such as zzz";echo${IFS}"hello";# in a pull request. Because the workflow runs with unrestricted permissions, this input results in arbitrary command execution on the GitHub Actions runner, enabling the attacker to read repository secrets, modify code, or perform other actions within the CI environment.

The project addressed the issue in commit 834c86dfd1b2492ccad7ebbfd6304bfec895fed2 for Kiwi and commit e39f7e156fdaf6fec09a15ea6f4e8fec8cdbf751 for Enterprise. The accompanying GitHub Security Advisory and the referenced GitHub Actions hardening guidance recommend avoiding untrusted inputs in workflow expressions and switching to safer alternatives such as github.event.pull_request.head.sha.

The EPSS score has remained flat at 0.1286 with no material increase after disclosure.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

Kiwi TCMS is an open source test management system. In kiwitcms/Kiwi v12.2 and prior and kiwitcms/enterprise v12.2 and prior, the `changelog.yml` workflow is vulnerable to command injection attacks because of using an untrusted `github.head_ref` field. The `github.head_ref` value is an…

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attacker-controlled value. Assigning the value to `zzz";echo${IFS}"hello";#` can lead to command injection. Since the permission is not restricted, the attacker has a write-access to the repository. Commit 834c86dfd1b2492ccad7ebbfd6304bfec895fed2 of the kiwitcms/Kiwi repository and commit e39f7e156fdaf6fec09a15ea6f4e8fec8cdbf751 of the kiwitcms/enterprise repository contain a fix for this issue.

CWE(s)

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1059 Command and Scripting Interpreter Execution
Adversaries may abuse command and script interpreters to execute commands, scripts, or binaries.
T1059.003 Windows Command Shell Execution
Adversaries may abuse the Windows command shell for execution.
T1059.004 Unix Shell Execution
Adversaries may abuse Unix shell commands and scripts for execution.
T1059.001 PowerShell Execution
Adversaries may abuse PowerShell commands and scripts for execution.
T1190 Exploit Public-Facing Application Initial Access
Adversaries may attempt to exploit a weakness in an Internet-facing host or system to initially access a network.
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2023-30613Same product: Kiwitcms Kiwi Tcms
CVE-2023-32686Same product: Kiwitcms Kiwi Tcms
CVE-2023-36809Same product: Kiwitcms Kiwi Tcms
CVE-2023-27489Same product: Kiwitcms Kiwi Tcms
CVE-2023-33977Same product: Kiwitcms Kiwi Tcms
CVE-2023-30544Same product: Kiwitcms Kiwi Tcms
CVE-2023-25171Same product: Kiwitcms Kiwi Tcms
CVE-2023-25156Same product: Kiwitcms Kiwi Tcms
CVE-2023-22451Same product: Kiwitcms Kiwi Tcms
CVE-2024-0292Shared CWE-78

Affected Assets

kiwitcms
kiwi tcms
≤ 12.2

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)

Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)

Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)
  • V1.2.5
  • V1.2.8
  • V15.2.5

Likely Mitigating Controls AI

Per-CVE control mapping for this CVE has not run yet; the list below is derived from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry.

addresses: CWE-78

Platform-independent apps typically execute inside a managed runtime or sandbox that restricts direct OS command execution, reducing the ability to exploit OS command injection.

addresses: CWE-78

Validates inputs to block special elements that would alter OS command execution.

Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

PR.PS-06 mostly match
prevents

PR.PS-06's SDLC practices directly require secure coding and input handling that blocks command-injection defects, yet the single broad outcome leaves many specific neutralization vectors and verification gaps unaddressed.

PR.PS-02 partial match
prevents

Routine patching/maintenance can remediate known command-injection CVEs in dependencies (partial forward) but does nothing to stop developers from introducing improper neutralization in custom code (none reverse).

Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

finds

Security testing and code review target insecure use of operating-system command interfaces, catching command-injection flaws introduced during development.

References