CVE-2026-75911: CodeWhale: Project config `allow_shell` override enables arbitrary shell command execution via cloned repository
A malicious .codewhale/config.toml or .deepseek/config.toml committed to a repository can silently set allow_shell = true for any user who clones and opens the repository in CodeWhale. This enables the AI model’s exec_shell tool, granting arbitrary shell command execution on the victim’s machine without the user’s explicit opt-in. The approval_policy and sandbox_mode fields correctly enforce tightening-only semantics from project config, but allow_shell has no such guard, contradicting the intent of GHSA-72w5-pf8h-xfp4 which established allow_shell as an opt-in security boundary.
References
- github.com/Hmbown/CodeWhale/commit/43563356b98c6b993085554da82e77370160a31c
- github.com/Hmbown/CodeWhale/security/advisories/GHSA-gx45-xrj5-g6c4
- github.com/advisories/GHSA-gx45-xrj5-g6c4
- nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-75911
- www.vulncheck.com/advisories/codewhale-before-remote-code-execution-via-allow-shell
Code Behaviors & Features
Detect and mitigate CVE-2026-75911 with GitLab Dependency Scanning
Secure your software supply chain by verifying that all open source dependencies used in your projects contain no disclosed vulnerabilities. Dependency Scanning using SBOM also detects vulnerabilities from proprietary advisories that this site does not include. Learn more about Dependency Scanning using SBOM →