Prior to OpenChoreo releases 1.0.4, 1.1.4, and 1.2.0-rc.2, workflow plane templates in the samples directory interpolated developer-provided parameters directly into shell command strings that were executed via sh -c. Because the values were not passed as environment variables but inserted into the command line, an attacker who could craft or modify a template could inject arbitrary shell commands that would run with the privileges of the workflow pod. This flaw allows an attacker to execute code in privileged pods, effectively compromising the entire platform.

OpenChoreo, version 0.x and any release older than 1.0.4, 1.1.4, or 1.2.0-rc.2. The vulnerability exists in the Workflow Plane templates located under samples/getting-started/workflow-templates/ and is only present when the templates render user-supplied parameters into commands instead of using container.environment variables. Privileged Podman templates that lack the hostUsers: false setting are also affected.

The CVSS score of 8.8 indicates high severity. The EPSS score is not available, and the vulnerability is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog. The attack vector requires authenticated access that permits creation or modification of workflow templates. An attacker can chain this privilege into arbitrary command execution inside a pod that may run with elevated permissions. Because the flaw involves direct shell interpolation, an exploitation attempt is straightforward for an authenticated user, making the risk high for deployed systems that do not restrict template editing or run the vulnerable OpenChoreo versions.