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wraithgar
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generalmimon
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The PR npm#1917 bumped the `actions/setup-node` action from v4 to v6. This made the publishing GitHub Actions sample workflows potentially vulnerable to cache poisoning, because v5 and later enable caching by default (see https://github.com/actions/setup-node/blob/53b83947a5a98c8d113130e565377fae1a50d02f/README.md#breaking-changes-in-v5). v6 only enables automatic caching if the `packageManager` field in package.json is set to `npm`. Consuming GitHub Actions cache in publishing workflows is discouraged, because the cache may be poisoned by compromising any low-privileged workflow in the same repository. Normally, a code injection vulnerability in a low-privileged workflow (for example `permissions: {contents: read}` and no secrets) is not a big deal, because the attacker cannot do much more than poison the repository cache (which requires no permissions). If caching is only used in other low-privileged workflows, the impact is limited. However, if a high-privileged workflow like the release build consumes the cache, then it becomes a real problem. As @AdnaneKhan concludes in his blog posts about GitHub Actions cache poisoning, such as https://adnanthekhan.com/2024/05/06/the-monsters-in-your-build-cache-github-actions-cache-poisoning/#dont-use-actions-caching-in-release-builds: "the best way to protect the integrity of releases is to avoid using GitHub Actions caching entirely for release workflows." The README of `actions/setup-node` also recommends `package-manager-cache: false` for privileged workflows (see https://github.com/actions/setup-node/blob/53b83947a5a98c8d113130e565377fae1a50d02f/README.md#breaking-changes-in-v5): > For workflows with elevated privileges or access to sensitive > information, we recommend disabling automatic caching by setting > `package-manager-cache: false` when caching is not needed for secure > operation.
generalmimon
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Apr 29, 2026
The PR npm#1917 bumped the `actions/setup-node` action from v4 to v6. This made the publishing GitHub Actions sample workflows potentially vulnerable to cache poisoning, because v5 and later enable caching by default (see https://github.com/actions/setup-node/blob/53b83947a5a98c8d113130e565377fae1a50d02f/README.md#breaking-changes-in-v5). v6 only enables automatic caching if the `packageManager` field in package.json is set to `npm`. Consuming GitHub Actions cache in publishing workflows is discouraged, because the cache may be poisoned by compromising any low-privileged workflow in the same repository. Normally, a code injection vulnerability in a low-privileged workflow (for example `permissions: {contents: read}` and no secrets) is not a big deal, because the attacker cannot do much more than poison the repository cache (which requires no permissions). If caching is only used in other low-privileged workflows, the impact is limited. However, if a high-privileged workflow like the release build consumes the cache, then it becomes a real problem. As @AdnaneKhan concludes in his blog posts about GitHub Actions cache poisoning, such as https://adnanthekhan.com/2024/05/06/the-monsters-in-your-build-cache-github-actions-cache-poisoning/#dont-use-actions-caching-in-release-builds: "the best way to protect the integrity of releases is to avoid using GitHub Actions caching entirely for release workflows." The README of `actions/setup-node` also recommends `package-manager-cache: false` for privileged workflows (see https://github.com/actions/setup-node/blob/53b83947a5a98c8d113130e565377fae1a50d02f/README.md#breaking-changes-in-v5): > For workflows with elevated privileges or access to sensitive > information, we recommend disabling automatic caching by setting > `package-manager-cache: false` when caching is not needed for secure > operation.
owlstronaut
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May 4, 2026
The PR #1917 bumped the `actions/setup-node` action from v4 to v6. This made the publishing GitHub Actions sample workflows potentially vulnerable to cache poisoning, because v5 and later enable caching by default (see https://github.com/actions/setup-node/blob/53b83947a5a98c8d113130e565377fae1a50d02f/README.md#breaking-changes-in-v5). v6 only enables automatic caching if the `packageManager` field in package.json is set to `npm`. Consuming GitHub Actions cache in publishing workflows is discouraged, because the cache may be poisoned by compromising any low-privileged workflow in the same repository. Normally, a code injection vulnerability in a low-privileged workflow (for example `permissions: {contents: read}` and no secrets) is not a big deal, because the attacker cannot do much more than poison the repository cache (which requires no permissions). If caching is only used in other low-privileged workflows, the impact is limited. However, if a high-privileged workflow like the release build consumes the cache, then it becomes a real problem. As @AdnaneKhan concludes in his blog posts about GitHub Actions cache poisoning, such as https://adnanthekhan.com/2024/05/06/the-monsters-in-your-build-cache-github-actions-cache-poisoning/#dont-use-actions-caching-in-release-builds: "the best way to protect the integrity of releases is to avoid using GitHub Actions caching entirely for release workflows." The README of `actions/setup-node` also recommends `package-manager-cache: false` for privileged workflows (see https://github.com/actions/setup-node/blob/53b83947a5a98c8d113130e565377fae1a50d02f/README.md#breaking-changes-in-v5): > For workflows with elevated privileges or access to sensitive information, we recommend disabling automatic caching by setting `package-manager-cache: false` when caching is not needed for secure operation. ## References Related to #1917
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People should not need to immediately update those again after setting them up.
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