CVE-2025-53546
Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:NSummary
CVE-2025-53546 is a critical-severity Inclusion of Functionality from Untrusted Control Sphere (CWE-829) vulnerability. Its CVSS base score is 9.1 (Critical).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Supply Chain Compromise (T1195); ranked at the 23th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to SR-4 (Provenance) and SR-11 (Component Authenticity) — see the control section below for these in your framework.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
CVE-2025-53546 is a high-severity vulnerability (CVSS 3.1 score of 9.1) affecting Folo, an open-source tool that organizes feeds content into one timeline. The issue stems from the misuse of the pull_request_target event trigger in the .github/workflows/auto-fix-lint-format-commit.yml GitHub Actions workflow file (CWE-829). This configuration allows untrusted code from pull requests to execute with full access to secrets from the base repository.
Any unauthenticated attacker with network access can exploit this vulnerability with low complexity and no user interaction required. By submitting a malicious pull request, the attacker triggers the workflow to run untrusted code, enabling exfiltration of the GITHUB_TOKEN, which possesses high privileges including content write access. This allows the attacker to completely overtake the repository.
The vulnerability has been fixed in commit 585c6a591440cd39f92374230ac5d65d7dd23d6a, as detailed in the GitHub security advisory GHSA-h87r-5w74-qfm4. Security practitioners should update to this commit or later to mitigate the issue and review workflows using pull_request_target for similar misconfigurations.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2025-20825
Vulnerability Data
Folo organizes feeds content into one timeline. Using pull_request_target on .github/workflows/auto-fix-lint-format-commit.yml can be exploited by attackers, since untrusted code can be executed having full access to secrets (from the base repo). By exploiting the vulnerability is possible to exfiltrate GITHUB_TOKEN…
more
which has high privileges. GITHUB_TOKEN can be used to completely overtake the repo since the token has content write privileges. This vulnerability is fixed in commit 585c6a591440cd39f92374230ac5d65d7dd23d6a.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Control response
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- 6 hardening rules · 6 OS baselines
V14.2.3V3.5.6V9.1.3V15.3.2
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Requires documented, valid provenance for components, preventing acceptance of code from outside the trusted sphere.
Implements detection and prevention of counterfeit or inauthentic components before they are integrated.
Establishes processes to identify and address supply-chain weaknesses that would allow untrusted functionality.
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.
Pre-acquisition integrity/authenticity checks directly prevent inclusion of untrusted code.
Supply-chain program directly governs inclusion of third-party executable code.
Contractual requirements can mandate trusted sources and integrity checks for included functionality.
Supplier risk assessment explicitly covers risks from their products and libraries.
Critical-supplier assessment reduces risk of importing executable functionality from untrusted parties.
Secure SDLC practices include dependency vetting and trusted-source policies.
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.
By requiring suppliers to propagate security requirements and to disclose component provenance, the control limits the inclusion of functionality obtained from untrusted third-party sources without oversight.
Blocking domains that serve malware or untrusted scripts prevents the browser from automatically including functionality from an attacker-controlled source.
Hardening callouts derived
Configuration rules from DISA STIG baselines that bear on weaknesses of the type cited by this CVE. Each rule is shown with the relationship its mapping actually records, against the CWE it was authored against. Derived via CVE→CWE over `controls_xwalks` (authoritative rows only; rows rated `none` are excluded).
Oracle Linux 8 (1 rule)
- V-248635 Executable search paths within the initialization files of all local interactive OL 8 users must only contain paths that resolve to the system default or the user's home directory. prevents CWE-829
Oracle Linux 9 (1 rule)
- V-271847 OL 9 must be configured so that executable search paths within the initialization files of all local interactive users must only contain paths that resolve to the system default or the users home directory. prevents CWE-829
RHEL 7 (1 rule)
- V-204477 The Red Hat Enterprise Linux operating system must be configured so that all local interactive user initialization files executable search paths contain only paths that resolve to the users home directory. prevents CWE-829
RHEL 8 (1 rule)
- V-230317 Executable search paths within the initialization files of all local interactive RHEL 8 users must only contain paths that resolve to the system default or the users home directory. prevents CWE-829
RHEL 9 (1 rule)
- V-258050 Executable search paths within the initialization files of all local interactive RHEL 9 users must only contain paths that resolve to the system default or the users home directory. prevents CWE-829
Windows 10 (1 rule)
- V-220737 Administrative accounts must not be used with applications that access the Internet, such as web browsers, or with potential Internet sources, such as email. prevents CWE-829