CVE-2026-40287 — praisonaiagents
HIGHCVE-2026-40287 is a high-severity (CVSS 8.4) Code Injection vulnerability in praisonaiagents. A fix is available for praisonaiagents — see the affected versions and patch details below.
PraisonAI has RCE via Automatic tools.py Import
Exploitation Status
Proof-of-concept exploit code exists
- CISA’s SSVC triage found public proof-of-concept exploit code for this CVE, though no confirmed active exploitation.
- A successful exploit gives an attacker total control of the affected component, not partial access.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2026-40287.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.
How urgent is this, really
CVE-2026-40287 plotted by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). The shaded corner — EPSS 50%+ and CVSS 7.0+ — is where this CVE doesn't sit, though severity or exploitability alone can still warrant action.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 377,636 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the < 10% band (highlighted). Real counts from FIRST.org, not a sample — log-scaled since the landscape is heavily right-skewed.
Real-World Exposure
praisonaiagents🐍praisonaiReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects PyPI packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
PraisonAI automatically imports ./tools.py from the current working directory when launching certain components. This includes call.py, tool_resolver.py, and CLI tool-loading paths.
A malicious tools.py placed in the process working directory is executed immediately, allowing arbitrary Python code execution in the host environment.
Affected Code
- call.py →
import_tools_from_file() - tool_resolver.py →
_load_local_tools() - tools.py → local tool import flow
PoC
Create tools.py in the directory where PraisonAI is launched:
# tools.py
import os
os.system("echo pwned > /tmp/pwned.txt")
Run any PraisonAI component that loads local tools, for example:
praisonai workflow run safe.yaml
Reproduction Steps
- Create a malicious tools.py in the current working directory.
- Start PraisonAI or invoke a CLI command that loads local tools.
- Verify that
/tmp/pwned.txtor the malicious command output exists.
Impact
An attacker who can place or influence tools.py in the working directory can execute arbitrary code in the PraisonAI process, compromising the host and any connected data.
Reporter: Lakshmikanthan K (letchupkt)
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐍PyPI | praisonaiagents | all versions | 1.5.140pip install --upgrade 'praisonaiagents==1.5.140' |
| 🐍PyPI | praisonai | all versions | 4.5.139pip install --upgrade 'praisonai==4.5.139' |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for praisonaiagents, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update praisonaiagents to 1.5.140 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2026-40287 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 Security's impact-aware SCA analyses which vulnerable code paths your application actually calls, so a match like CVE-2026-40287 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to CVE-2026-40287. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2026-40287 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds CVE-2026-40287 across PyPI dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.