A security flaw in GitHub Codespaces nicknamed RoguePilot allowed attackers to hijack repositories by placing hidden malicious instructions within GitHub issues. Discovered by Orca Security and since patched by Microsoft, the vulnerability enabled the silent theft of privileged tokens when developers opened a codespace from a compromised issue.
Security researchers identified a significant vulnerability known as RoguePilot that permitted unauthorized control over GitHub repositories through manipulated Copilot instructions. This flaw was classified as an indirect prompt injection attack, where malicious commands were embedded within standard developer content. Because GitHub Copilot automatically processes the text of an issue when a codespace is launched from it, the AI could be tricked into executing arbitrary actions without the user’s knowledge.
The attack utilized a trusted developer workflow where a codespace is initiated directly from a GitHub issue. By hiding a malicious prompt within HTML comment tags in the issue description, an attacker could ensure the instructions remained invisible to the human user while being fully readable by the AI. Once the codespace environment was active, the integrated Copilot agent would automatically ingest the hidden description and begin executing the attacker's hidden agenda.
Orca Security described this as an AI-mediated supply chain attack because it turned a standard integration into a weapon for data exfiltration. The primary goal of the exploit was to leak the privileged GITHUB_TOKEN to an external server controlled by the bad actor. This token provides high-level access to the repository, potentially allowing the attacker to alter source code, steal sensitive data, or compromise the entire development pipeline.
The technical execution involved forcing Copilot to interact with a crafted pull request containing a symbolic link to internal files. By leveraging a remote JSON schema, the attacker could trick the AI into reading those sensitive files and sending the contents to a remote destination. This method effectively bypassed traditional security perimeters by using the AI assistant as a proxy for the malicious activity.
Following the responsible disclosure of these findings, Microsoft implemented a patch to prevent GitHub Copilot from automatically processing issue descriptions in a way that could lead to command execution. The discovery highlights the emerging risks associated with large language models being integrated into development environments. It serves as a reminder that as AI agents gain more autonomy within software workflows, they become new vectors for traditional supply chain vulnerabilities.
Source: RoguePilot Bug in GitHub Codespaces Enabled Copilot to Expose GITHUB_TOKEN