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OpenAI Fixes Codex CLI Vulnerability That Enabled Silent Supply-Chain Attacks
OpenAI has patched a critical vulnerability in Codex CLI — its local, terminal-based coding agent — that allowed attackers to execute arbitrary commands on developers’ machines without user approval. The flaw (CVE-2025-61260) stemmed from Codex CLI’s implicit trust of local configuration files, enabling stealthy supply-chain attacks capable of credential theft, persistent access, and compromise of downstream build systems.
Context
Codex CLI is designed to help developers automate code review, documentation, testing, and vulnerability analysis through natural-language commands. Because it runs locally and is granted broad code-execution permissions, its security posture is especially important.
Check Point researchers examined Codex CLI’s behavior and found that the tool automatically loaded commands defined inside project configurations without prompting the user, creating a silent execution pathway ideal for targeted attacks on software supply chains.
What Happened
Check Point discovered that a malicious actor could commit or merge a specially crafted configuration file into a developer’s repository. Once Codex CLI was run inside that project, it would automatically execute attacker-controlled commands embedded inside the config.
This meant that simply cloning a compromised repository or accepting a pull request could trigger unauthorized code execution.
OpenAI patched the vulnerability in early September 2025 as part of Codex CLI release 0.23.0.
Technical Breakdown
Codex CLI trusted and executed commands stored in:
Local
.codexconfiguration filesProject templates
Starter repositories
Merged pull-request content
The attack chain allowed an adversary to:
Deploy reverse shells
Exfiltrate secrets, SSH keys, and tokens
Run arbitrary shell commands
Escalate privileges
Laterally move across systems
Poison CI pipelines and build agents
Compromise downstream deployments
The issue is classified as CVE-2025-61260.
Check Point demonstrated how an attacker could insert a benign config during code review, and then replace it with a weaponized version post-merge — a stealthy backdoor that would execute whenever a developer ran Codex CLI during normal workflows.
Impact Analysis
The vulnerability posed material risk to:
Developer workstations
CI/CD systems
Automated build agents
Open-source projects consuming compromised templates
Organizations relying on Codex-driven automation
Because Codex CLI is used locally and has permission to read, write, and execute code, exploitation could lead to:
Persistent access
Supply chain compromise
Tampered build artifacts
Credential harvesting
Ransomware staging
Implant distribution across downstream consumers
Why It Matters
Developer-tooling vulnerabilities are uniquely dangerous because:
They hit early in the software supply chain.
A single compromised repo or template can infect thousands of consumers.
Automation amplifies the blast radius.
Codex CLI’s trust model made it especially susceptible to malicious configuration injection — a technique increasingly used by advanced threat actors targeting build systems, open-source ecosystems, and internal repositories.
Expert Commentary
Check Point highlighted the severity of the risk:
“An initially innocuous config can be swapped for a malicious one post-approval or post-merge, creating a stealthy, reproducible supply-chain backdoor that triggers on normal developer workflows.”
They also warned that the attack could silently spread into CI pipelines:
“If automation or build agents run Codex on checked-out code, the compromise can move from workstations into build artifacts and downstream deployments.”
Key Takeaways
Codex CLI automatically executed local config commands without user consent.
Attackers could weaponize pull requests or template repos to deliver malicious configs.
The flaw enabled full remote access, lateral movement, and supply chain compromise.
CVE-2025-61260 was patched in Codex CLI version 0.23.0.
All developers should upgrade immediately and audit repositories for suspicious config files.