Vulnerability · Published Apr 10, 2026 · Assigned by GitHub_M

CVE-2026-40156PraisonAI Affected by Implicit Execution of Arbitrary Code via Automatic `tools.py` Loading

High 7.8

In plain English

A high-severity code injection in PraisonAI from MervinPraison. Proof-of-concept exploit code is public. The chance it is exploited in the next 30 days is estimated at 0.2% (higher than 11% of all known vulnerabilities). Fixed versions are available - upgrade the affected package.

Severity (CVSS 3.1)7.8High
Exploit odds (30 days)0.2%top 88.9% of all CVEs
Exploited in the wildNo reportsCISA SSVC: poc
Attack toolingNoneno public tooling known

Official description

PraisonAI is a multi-agent teams system. Prior to 4.5.128, PraisonAI automatically loads a file named tools.py from the current working directory to discover and register custom agent tools. This loading process uses importlib.util.spec_from_file_location and immediately executes module-level code via spec.loader.exec_module() without explicit user consent, validation, or sandboxing. The tools.py file is loaded implicitly, even when it is not referenced in configuration files or explicitly requested by the user. As a result, merely placing a file named tools.py in the working directory is sufficient to trigger code execution. This behavior violates the expected security boundary between user-controlled project files (e.g., YAML configurations) and executable code, as untrusted content in the working directory is treated as trusted and executed automatically. If an attacker can place a malicious tools.py file into a directory where a user or automated system (e.g., CI/CD pipeline) runs praisonai, arbitrary code execution occurs immediately upon startup, before any agent logic begins. This vulnerability is fixed in 4.5.128.

Affected packages & fixed versions

EcosystemPackageFixed inAdvisory
PyPIpraisonai4.5.128GHSA-2g3w-cpc4-chr4
PyPIpraisonai4.5.128PYSEC-2026-2895

Affected products (as reported)

VendorProductVersions
MervinPraison PraisonAI < 4.5.128

Weakness: CWE-94, CWE-426, CWE-829 · Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

References