In short: Prompt injections hidden in image files can bypass AI code reviewers and trick agents into extracting secrets from .env files.
Security researchers have demonstrated a technique called “Ghostcommit” that hides prompt injections in PNG files, thereby deceiving AI-based code review tools and coding agents. Attackers can use this to access and extract repository secrets.
Ghostcommit is an attack method that uses a PNG file to hide a prompt injection. The security researchers showed that this approach successfully bypassed AI-powered code reviewers CodeRabbit and Bugbot – both of which do not open image files by default.
The manipulated PNG was then submitted to a coding agent, which evaluated the injection and subsequently read the repository’s .env file. The agent then wrote all the secrets contained therein as a sequence of numbers in the code.
For CISOs, this represents a significant risk: AI agents deployed in software development can be compromised through image files in code commits without traditional code review processes detecting this threat. This underscores the need to extend security measures to non-textual artifacts in the supply chain.
Source: www.bleepingcomputer.com · Published 11 July 2026
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