GitHub Workflow Downloading Artifacts

Severity: informational
Log types: GitHub.Webhook
Tags: CI/CD, Workflow, Artifacts
Reference: https://securitylab.github.com/research/github-actions-preventing-pwn-requests/#pwn-request-with-artifact-upload
Source: github.com/panther-labs/panther-analysis

Detects when a GitHub Actions workflow downloads artifacts.

MITRE ATT&CK coverage

Tactic	Techniques
Initial Access	`T1195.002` Supply Chain Compromise: Compromise Software Supply Chain
Stealth	`T1027` Obfuscated Files or Information

Rules detecting the same action

Other rules on this platform that filter on the same API call or operation.

GitHub pull_request_target Workflow Usage (Panther)
GitHub Workflow Contains Checkout Action (Panther)
GitHub Workflow Using Self-Hosted Runner (Panther)

Rule body yaml

AnalysisType: rule
Filename: github_workflow_artifact_download.py
RuleID: "GitHub.Webhook.WorkflowArtifactDownload"
DisplayName: "GitHub Workflow Downloading Artifacts"
Enabled: true
LogTypes:
  - GitHub.Webhook
Reports:
  MITRE ATT&CK:
    - TA0001:T1195.002  # Supply Chain Compromise: Compromise Software Supply Chain
    - TA0005:T1027  # Defense Evasion: Obfuscated Files or Information
Tags:
  - CI/CD
  - Workflow
  - Artifacts
CreateAlert: false
Severity: Info
Description: Detects when a GitHub Actions workflow downloads artifacts. 
Reference: https://securitylab.github.com/research/github-actions-preventing-pwn-requests/#pwn-request-with-artifact-upload
Tests:
  - Name: "Workflow with artifact download"
    ExpectedResult: true
    Log:
      action: "completed"
      workflow_job:
        id: 52841003143
        name: "Deploy"
        status: "completed"
        conclusion: "success"
        run_id: 12345678
        steps:
          - name: "Setup"
            status: "completed"
            conclusion: "success"
          - name: "Download artifact"
            status: "completed"
            conclusion: "success"
          - name: "Deploy"
            status: "completed"
            conclusion: "success"
      repository:
        id: 123456789
        full_name: "example-org/example-repo"

  - Name: "Workflow with actions/download-artifact"
    ExpectedResult: true
    Log:
      action: "completed"
      workflow_job:
        id: 52841003144
        name: "Process Build"
        status: "completed"
        conclusion: "success"
        run_id: 12345679
        steps:
          - name: "Checkout"
            status: "completed"
            conclusion: "success"
          - name: "actions/download-artifact@v4"
            status: "completed"
            conclusion: "success"
          - name: "Process"
            status: "completed"
            conclusion: "success"
      repository:
        id: 123456789
        full_name: "example-org/example-repo"

  - Name: "Workflow with restore artifact step"
    ExpectedResult: true
    Log:
      action: "completed"
      workflow_job:
        id: 52841003145
        name: "Test Results"
        status: "completed"
        conclusion: "success"
        run_id: 12345680
        steps:
          - name: "Restore Artifact from Previous Run"
            status: "completed"
            conclusion: "success"
      repository:
        id: 123456789
        full_name: "example-org/example-repo"

  - Name: "Workflow without artifact download"
    ExpectedResult: false
    Log:
      action: "completed"
      workflow_job:
        id: 52841003146
        name: "Build"
        status: "completed"
        conclusion: "success"
        run_id: 12345681
        steps:
          - name: "Checkout"
            status: "completed"
            conclusion: "success"
          - name: "Build"
            status: "completed"
            conclusion: "success"
          - name: "Upload artifact"
            status: "completed"
            conclusion: "success"
      repository:
        id: 123456789
        full_name: "example-org/example-repo"

  - Name: "Workflow job in progress"
    ExpectedResult: false
    Log:
      action: "in_progress"
      workflow_job:
        id: 52841003147
        name: "Deploy"
        status: "in_progress"
        run_id: 12345682
        steps:
          - name: "Download artifact"
            status: "in_progress"
      repository:
        id: 123456789
        full_name: "example-org/example-repo"

Detection logic

Condition

action eq "completed"
workflow_job.steps array_any

Indicators

Each row is a field, operator, and value that the rule matches. The corpus column counts how many other rules in the catalog look for the same combination: high numbers point to widely-used, community-vetted indicators. Blank or 1 shows that the indicator is specific to this rule.

Field	Kind	Values
`action`	eq	`completed`

Output fields

Fields the rule emits when it matches. Chronicle authors list these in the outcome block; they appear on the detection and $risk_score drives alerting. Sentinel / Defender XDR rules build them up through project / summarize / extend stages. Sentinel maps these into alert fields via entityMappings and customDetails; Defender XDR custom detections surface them as alert fields directly.

Field	Source
`name`	`workflow_job.name`
`full_name`	`repository.full_name`

`j` / `k`	Scroll down / up
`d` / `u`	Half-page down / up
`gg` / `G`	Top / bottom
`h` / `l`	History back / forward
`f`	Follow link (`Shift` = new tab)
`/`	Focus search
`?`	Toggle this help
`↑` / `↓`	Navigate search results
`Enter`	Open highlighted result
`Esc`	Close results / dialog

`type:`	`events` / `rules` / `providers`
`vendor:`	`sigma` / `elastic` / `splunk` / `kusto` / `chronicle` (vendor name alone also works: `sigma:`, `kql:`, `secops:`…)
`tactic:`	TA-id, slug, or name: `credential_access`, `TA0006`
`technique:`	technique or sub-technique ID: `T1003`, `T1003.001` (alias `tech:`)
`severity:`	`critical` / `high` / `medium` / `low` / `informational` (alias `sev:`)
`risk_score`	Numeric comparison on the Elastic risk score (0 to 100): `risk_score>50`, `risk_score<=20`, `risk_score=99` (alias `risk`; Elastic rules only)
`stages:`	Rules with exactly N pipeline stages
`correlation:`	`single_event` / `sequence` / `alternatives` / `alternatives_cross_log` / `all_required` / `correlated`
`with:`	Co-occurrence event-id; stacks (`with:4624 with:4769`) to require all, while a comma list in one occurrence (`with:4624,4769`) is an either-or group. Implies multi-event
`like:`	Structural neighbors of a rule slug (equivalents + subsumption stricter / broader): `like:comsvcs_lsass_memory_dump-splunk-sysmon`
`groupby:`	Entity-grouping substring match against `group_by_keys`: `groupby:user`, `groupby:host`
`uses:`	Rules whose predicate tree touches the field (any kind, any value): `uses:CommandLine`
`excludes:`	Rules with top-level `not()` clauses on the field (FP whitelists): `excludes:ParentImage`
`field:` / `value:`	Predicate search; narrows rule cards to those with a matching leaf and drives the indicator tier. Unquoted = substring, wildcards allowed (`value:mimikatz`)
`indicator:`	Shorthand for `field:F value:V`: `indicator:Image=*\powershell.exe`
`kind:`	Filter by predicate kind. Narrows rule cards to those carrying a matching predicate leaf (`vendor:elastic kind:cidr_match`) and drives the indicator tier: `contains` / `starts_with` / `ends_with` / `regex` / `cidr` / `eq` / `in` … (operator aliases `op:`/`match:`)
`has:` / `no:`	`sample`, `field`, `notes`, `refs`, `trace`, `thirdparty`, `rule`, `pattern`, `timewindow`, `threshold`, `newterms`, `sigma`/`elastic`/`splunk`/`kusto`/`chronicle`
`-op:val`	Exclude matches; works on most operators but not `type:`/`like:`/`has:`/`no:` (use `no:<flag>` to exclude a rule flag): `tactic:execution -vendor:splunk`. Standalone `-kind:`/`-field:`/`-value:` drop every rule carrying a matching predicate leaf (`type:rules -kind:is_null`)
`field:"…"` / `value:"…"`	Quoted value = anchored exact match (also allows spaces): `value:"net user"`
`a,b`	Comma = OR inside one operator (`vendor:sigma,elastic`, `severity:high,critical`); repeating a facet merges the same way. `field:`/`value:` never split (literal commas)
`vendors:` / `stage:`	Singular and plural spellings fold to the canonical operator and value: `tactics:` = `tactic:`, `type:event` = `type:events`, `correlation:sequences` = `correlation:sequence`, `has:thresholds` = `has:threshold`
`"quoted phrase"`	Exact-match a multi-word phrase (free text)