Evidence used
- No CISA KEV confirmation is currently recorded.
- EPSS is 0.48% for the current model date.
BlackTreeCVE IntelligenceFull vulnerability report · 2026
CVE-2026-32947High confidence
Egress Policy Bypass via DNS over HTTPS (DoH) in Harden-Runner (Community Tier)
step-security · harden-runner
Official source article: GitHub GHSA-46G3-37RH-V698 ↗. Check the applicable product and release in the original source.
4.6MediumCVSS 4.0
Scheduled
Patch availableMedium technical severity with no CISA KEV confirmation; remediate through the normal risk-based patch cycle unless local exposure raises the priority.
R
Open reassessment dashboard →Operational reassessment
Published severity in operational context
Published severityMedium→Operational priority:Medium, unchanged from published severity.unchanged
Compensating controls
- Validate the affected product branch and deploy the verified fixed release.
- Restrict the affected network interface to trusted sources where business-safe.
- Monitor vendor guidance and exploitation sources for a material change.
Verification
- Confirm that the asset runs step-security harden-runner and falls inside the recorded affected range.
- Verify the installed build against the product-specific fixed version after deployment.
- Validate exposure, authentication requirements and compensating controls in the actual environment.
- Reopen this reassessment when CVSS, KEV, EPSS, exploit evidence or remediation changes.
Open-source package ranges1 source-attributed range
These OSV and GitHub advisory ranges apply only to the named package and ecosystem. A listed fixed version is not a universal product patch or proof that an update is installed.
| Ecosystem and package | Affected range | First fixed version | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| actionsstep-security/harden-runner | <= 2.15.1 | 2.16.0 | GitHub advisory ↗upstream repository advisory · 20 Mar 2026 |
Medium technical severity with no CISA KEV confirmation; remediate through the normal risk-based patch cycle unless local exposure raises the priority.
Patch available01
What, why and how
Harden-Runner is a CI/CD security agent that works like an EDR for GitHub Actions runners. In versions 2.15.1 and below, a DNS over HTTPS (DoH) vulnerability allows attackers to bypass egress-policy: block network restrictions by tunneling exfiltrated data through permitted HTTPS endpoints like dns.google. The attack works by encoding sensitive data (e.g., the runner's hostname) as subdomains in DoH queries, which appear as legitimate HTTPS traffic to Harden-Runner's domain-based filtering but are ultimately forwarded to an attacker-controlled domain. This effectively enables data exfiltration without directly connecting to any blocked destination. Exploitation requires the attacker to already have code execution within the GitHub Actions workflow. The issue was fixed in version 2.16.0.
What
Harden-Runner is a CI/CD security agent that works like an EDR for GitHub Actions runners. In versions 2.15.1 and below, a DNS over HTTPS (DoH) vulnerability allows attackers to bypass egress-policy: block network restrictions by tunneling exfiltrated data through permitted HTTPS endpoints like dns.google. The attack works by encoding sensitive data (e.g., the runner's hostname) as subdomains in DoH queries, which appear as legitimate HTTPS traffic to Harden-Runner's domain-based filtering but are ultimately forwarded to an attacker-controlled domain. This effectively enables data exfiltration without directly connecting to any blocked destination. Exploitation requires the attacker to already have code execution within the GitHub Actions workflow. The issue was fixed in version 2.16.0.
Why
The product does not use or incorrectly uses a protection mechanism that provides sufficient defense against directed attacks against the product.
How
An attacker operating through a network path may attempt exploitation with elevated privileges. If successful, the issue may cause the confidentiality, integrity or availability impact described by the vendor.
What
Harden-Runner is a CI/CD security agent that works like an EDR for GitHub Actions runners. In versions 2.15.1 and below, a DNS over HTTPS (DoH) vulnerability allows attackers to bypass egress-policy: block network restrictions by tunneling exfiltrated data through permitted HTTPS endpoints like dns.google. The attack works by encoding sensitive data (e.g., the runner's hostname) as subdomains in DoH queries, which appear as legitimate HTTPS traffic to Harden-Runner's domain-based filtering but are ultimately forwarded to an attacker-controlled domain. This effectively enables data exfiltration without directly connecting to any blocked destination. Exploitation requires the attacker to already have code execution within the GitHub Actions workflow. The issue was fixed in version 2.16.0.
Why
The product does not use or incorrectly uses a protection mechanism that provides sufficient defense against directed attacks against the product.
How
An attacker operating through a network path may attempt exploitation with elevated privileges. If successful, the issue may cause the confidentiality, integrity or availability impact described by the vendor.
02
Exploit reality and attack path
CVSS severity, EPSS forecast probability, public exploit material and CISA-confirmed exploitation are separate signals.
Observed exploitation No confirmed evidence
?
Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.No CISA KEV match was present at the last successful refresh. This means no confirmation from that source, not proof of no exploitation.
Public PoC / exploit material None recorded
?
Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.No exploit-tagged reference or CISA SSVC proof-of-concept state is currently recorded. Research may still exist outside the structured feeds.
- Likely attack path
- a network path → Protection Mechanism Failure → cause the confidentiality, integrity or availability impact described by the vendor
- Attack surface
- Network
- Privileges required
- High: elevated access is required
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low: no specialised conditions are recorded
- Security boundary
- Not a CVSS 4.0 base metric
- Weakness
?
CWE means Common Weakness Enumeration: a standard category for the underlying weakness. - CWE-693 ↗
CWE-693: Protection Mechanism Failure. The product does not use or incorrectly uses a protection mechanism that provides sufficient defense against directed attacks against the product.
- CVSS vector
?
CVSS means Common Vulnerability Scoring System. The vector records the metric values used to calculate technical severity. CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:H/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:N/SC:H/SI:N/SA:NCommon Vulnerability Scoring System 4.0: the compact vector below is decoded into plain language.
AVNetworkAttack vector: The vulnerable component can be reached over a network.ACLowAttack complexity: No specialised conditions are required beyond attacker-controlled input.ATPresentAttack requirements: A particular deployment or execution condition must be present.PRHighPrivileges required: The attacker needs elevated or administrative privileges.UINoneUser interaction: No action by another user is required.VCNoneVulnerable-system confidentiality: No direct loss is represented by this metric.VINoneVulnerable-system integrity: No direct loss is represented by this metric.VANoneVulnerable-system availability: No direct loss is represented by this metric.SCHighSubsequent-system confidentiality: A successful attack can cause a major loss.SINoneSubsequent-system integrity: No direct loss is represented by this metric.SANoneSubsequent-system availability: No direct loss is represented by this metric.- Post-exploitation / living off the land
- No specific living-off-the-land technique is confirmed in the structured sources. Monitor normal administration tools for activity inconsistent with the affected service's baseline.
03
Patch and workaround
Operational remediation based on structured source evidence.
- Status
?
Patch availability is based on structured fixed-version fields and authoritative update references. If no fix is verified, check the vendor advisory before making a change. - Patch available
- Affected
- harden-runner: < 2.16
- Fixed
- 2.16.0.
- Action
- Review the linked authoritative reference and apply the recorded fixed release appropriate to the affected product branch.
- Workaround
- No verified workaround is recorded. If business-safe, reduce exposure to the affected interface and allow only trusted sources until authoritative guidance is available.
04
Evidence and provenance
Published 20 Mar 2026 · Last source change 20 Mar 2026, 16:05 UTC · CWE-693 · Protection Mechanism Failure
CVE recordCVE.org · 5.2
CVSS sourceCNA
EPSS source FIRST · tracked since 2026-08-14
?
The date BlackTree first stored a score for this CVE from the daily FIRST EPSS feed.European sourceENISA EUVD · EUVD-2026-13539
Product sourceCNA
Remediation sourceCVE/CNA references
CWE sourceCNA
NVD statusNVD enriched
Core structured fields are present and their contributing authorities are shown above.
Material change intelligence
View recent updates ↗What changed after publication
No material field changes have been recorded since change tracking began. Routine source refreshes and cosmetic edits are intentionally excluded.
CVE published
Fixed release or patch reference recorded
Technical terms and abbreviations used in this report
- CVE
- Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures: the public identifier for one disclosed vulnerability.
- CVSS
- Common Vulnerability Scoring System: a technical severity framework; it is not patching priority by itself.
- EPSS
- Exploit Prediction Scoring System: FIRST's estimate of the probability that exploitation activity will be observed in the next 30 days; it is a forecast, not confirmation.
- CWE
- Common Weakness Enumeration: the standard category describing the underlying software or hardware weakness.
- CNA
- CVE Numbering Authority: an organisation authorised to assign and publish CVE records.
- CISA ADP
- Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Authorized Data Publisher: structured enrichment added to a CVE record.
- NVD
- National Vulnerability Database: NIST's enrichment service for CVE records.
- CERT / CSIRT
- A computer security incident response team that publishes warnings or coordinates incident response.
- PoC
- Proof of concept: public material that demonstrates or helps reproduce exploitation.
- CSAF
- Common Security Advisory Framework: a machine-readable format for security advisories.
- LoTL
- Living off the land: abuse of legitimate tools or system functions during an attack.