Which versions of CodeWhale are affected by CVE-2026-75915?

CodeWhale's js_execution tool (versions prior to 0.8.64) exposes API keys, cloud credentials, and authentication tokens to model context through improper environment variable sanitization in Node.js…. A patch is available.

Is there a public PoC exploit available for CVE-2026-75915?

Yes, a public proof-of-concept exploit is available for CVE-2026-75915. Prioritise patching immediately. EPSS: 0.5%.

How to fix or mitigate CVE-2026-75915?

Within 24 hours, inventory all CodeWhale deployments and identify which systems have access to production credentials or sensitive environment variables. Within 7 days, upgrade CodeWhale js_execution tool to version 0.8.64 or later per GitHub advisory GHSA-h539-c7r8-3xq4, test the patched version in non-production environments, and audit recent execution logs for evidence of environment access. Within 30 days, complete production rollout and rotate all API keys, cloud credentials, and authentication tokens that were present in affected deployments.

CodeWhale CVE-2026-75915

Q: What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-75915?

CVE-2026-75915 has a CVSS 4.0 base score of 8.7 (High). CVSS vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X. EPSS exploitation probability: 0.5%.

EUVD-2026-60973 HIGH

Information Exposure (CWE-200)

2026-08-18 VulnCheck

GHSA-h539-c7r8-3xq4

Information Disclosure Node.js Codewhale Hmbown

8.7

CVSS 4.0 · Vendor: VulnCheck

Severity by source

Vendor (VulnCheck) PRIMARY

8.7 HIGH

CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X

vuln.today AI

7.5 HIGH

Network vector applies via prompt injection path; PR:N consistent with no authentication required to reach the tool; confidentiality-only impact with no integrity or availability consequence.

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

4.0 AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Primary rating from Vendor (VulnCheck).

CVSS VectorVendor: VulnCheck

Attack Vector

Network

Attack Complexity

Low

Privileges Required

None

User Interaction

None

Scope

Lifecycle Timeline

Source Code Evidence Fetched

Aug 18, 2026 - 15:53 vuln.today

Analysis Generated

Aug 18, 2026 - 15:53 vuln.today

CVE Published

Aug 18, 2026 - 15:22 cve.org

HIGH 8.7

DescriptionCVE.org

CodeWhale versions before 0.8.64 contain an environment variable exposure vulnerability in the js_execution tool that fails to scrub parent process environment variables before spawning Node.js. Attackers can craft malicious JavaScript code executed by the tool to read process.env and leak API keys, cloud credentials, and authentication tokens back to the model context.

Articles & Coverage 1

News 3 New Node.js Vulnerabilities - 1 Critical, 2 High Severity Aug 19, 2026

AnalysisAI

Environment variable inheritance in CodeWhale's js_execution tool prior to version 0.8.64 allows crafted JavaScript payloads to read the full parent process environment via process.env, exposing API keys, cloud credentials, and authentication tokens to the model context. The affected codebase is a Rust TUI AI coding assistant whose Node.js child process spawning failed to sanitize the environment before execution. No public exploit code or CISA KEV listing has been identified at time of analysis; a vendor patch is available via GitHub advisory GHSA-h539-c7r8-3xq4.

Technical ContextAI

CodeWhale (CPE: cpe:2.3:a:hmbown:codewhale:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*) is a TUI-based AI coding assistant implemented in Rust under the crates/tui crate. Its js_execution tool spawns Node.js child processes to evaluate JavaScript on behalf of the AI model. The vulnerable function apply_node_proxy_env used tokio::process::Command::env() to add proxy-specific overrides but never called env_clear() first, so the spawned Node.js process inherited the complete environment of the parent CodeWhale process by default. Any JavaScript executed by the tool could trivially call process.env to enumerate and exfiltrate all inherited variables. This is a CWE-200 (Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor) root cause. The commit diff confirms the fix introduces crate::child_env::apply_to_tokio_command(), which explicitly clears the environment before applying only the minimal required overrides, and a regression test (execute_js_does_not_inherit_parent_secret_env) verifies that a secret set on the parent does not appear in child output.

RemediationAI

Upgrade CodeWhale to version 0.8.64 or later, which applies the environment sanitization fix in commit 26de44a8bd5051f8f944ea60b2c37ae1d2b7d25e (https://github.com/Hmbown/CodeWhale/commit/26de44a8bd5051f8f944ea60b2c37ae1d2b7d25e). The patch replaces the unsafe inheritance path with an explicit child_env::apply_to_tokio_command() call that clears the environment before applying only the necessary proxy overrides. If immediate upgrade is not feasible, a compensating control is to avoid running CodeWhale in environments where sensitive credentials exist as process environment variables: use IAM instance roles, Vault agent sidecars, or other runtime secret injection mechanisms that do not expose secrets to the parent process environment. The trade-off is operational complexity and potential disruption to credential-dependent workflows. Additionally, restricting which users or pipelines can trigger AI-driven JavaScript execution in CodeWhale reduces the prompt injection attack surface. Refer to the vendor advisory at https://github.com/Hmbown/CodeWhale/security/advisories/GHSA-h539-c7r8-3xq4 for authoritative guidance.