Harden-Runner allows evasion of 'disable-sudo' policy

Exploitation

No confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next marks exploitation only from CISA KEV.

CVSS

6.0 · CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H

EPSS

• CVE-2025-32955: 0.23% estimated exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 13.38 (FIRST EPSS, 2026-11-03). This is a model estimate, not proof of exploitation or customer exposure.

As published by the source; long descriptions are shortened.

Summary Harden-Runner includes a policy option disable-sudo to prevent the GitHub Actions runner user from using sudo. This is implemented by removing the runner user from the sudoers file. However, this control can be bypassed as the runner user, being part of the docker group, can interact with the Docker daemon to launch privileged containers or access the host filesystem. This allows the attacker to regain root access or restore the sudoers file, effectively bypassing the restriction. For an attacker to bypass this control, they would first need the ability to run their malicious code (e.g., by a supply chain attack similar to tj-actions or exploiting a Pwn Request vulnerability)) on the runner. This vulnerability has been fixed in Harden-Runner version v2.12.0. Impact An attacker with the ability to run their malicious code on a runner configured with disable-sudo: true can escalate privileges to root using Docker, defeating the intended security control. Affected Configuration…

Published by the source

22 Apr 2025, 01:07 UTC

Last modified by the source

22 Apr 2025, 01:07 UTC

Source last checked

26 Oct 2026, 17:08 UTC

1. Revision 1 · created · 26 Oct 2026

   Published from ghsa record GHSA-mxr3-8whj-j74r

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# Patch Next advisory brief: CVE-2025-32955

Advisory: Harden-Runner allows evasion of 'disable-sudo' policy
IDs: CVE-2025-32955, GHSA-mxr3-8whj-j74r
Record: https://patchnext.com/advisories/cve-2025-32955 (revision 1, source checked 26 Oct 2026, 17:08 UTC)
Inventory: none attached. This brief comes from a public page and does not say whether any deployment is affected.
Severity: Medium (CVSS 6.0)
Exploitation: no confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next confirms exploitation only from CISA KEV.
Vendor response: Vendor fix available; fixed versions by package: step-security/harden-runner 2.12.0. A vendor fix does not mean a deployment is fixed.

## Affected components
- GitHub Actions step-security/harden-runner: affected >= 0.12.0, < 2.12.0; fixed in 2.12.0

## Suggested inspection (read-only)
- GitHub Actions step-security/harden-runner: check the installed version with your package manager.

## Supported action
Upgrade each affected component to a fixed version on its release line. For a transitive dependency, upgrade the parent package or add an override or constraint, then regenerate the lockfile. Redeploy every environment that ran an affected version.

## Required regression checks
- Run the test suite and a production build.
- Exercise the features that depend on step-security/harden-runner.
- Repeat the inspection and confirm that only fixed versions remain installed.

## Rollback considerations
- Keep the previous lockfile and deployment artifact. Rolling back reinstates the vulnerable version, so apply any documented mitigation while you fix forward.

## Unresolved questions
- Which deployments run an affected version?
- Exploitation status can change. Check again before lowering the priority.
- Mark the work resolved only after the fixed version is verified in production.

## Sources
- Verified: https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-mxr3-8whj-j74r (GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-mxr3-8whj-j74r lists affected ranges: GitHub Actions step-security/harden-runner >=0.12.0 <2.12.0)

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