CVE-2026-55527 in PraisonAI
Summary
by MITRE • 08/25/2026
PraisonAI is a multi-agent teams system. Prior to praisonaiagents 1.6.58, the FileMemory constructor joins unsanitized user_id into self.user_path. A caller supplying ../ or path separators can escape the memory directory and write JSON data to arbitrary process-writable locations. The fix sanitizes user_id before constructing self.user_path. This issue is fixed in version 1.6.58.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/25/2026
The vulnerability identified in PraisonAI, specifically within versions prior to 1.6.58, constitutes a critical path traversal flaw rooted in improper input validation during the initialization of the FileMemory component. As a multi-agent teams system, PraisonAI relies heavily on persistent state management and data isolation between different user sessions or agent instances. The core technical failure occurs within the constructor of the FileMemory class, where the user_id parameter is directly concatenated into the self.user_path variable without any sanitization or validation checks. This design oversight allows an attacker who can control the input for user_id to manipulate the file system path structure by injecting directory traversal sequences such as ../ or other platform-specific path separators.
From a technical perspective, this flaw enables arbitrary file write operations within the context of the running process. By supplying crafted inputs that escape the intended memory directory boundary, an attacker can direct the application to write JSON data files to any location on the local filesystem where the executing user has write permissions. This capability is particularly dangerous because it bypasses the logical isolation mechanisms designed to keep agent memories separate and secure. The ability to write arbitrary content to specific locations means that if a predictable or sensitive file path exists within reach, such as configuration files, environment variables, or other application data stores, an attacker can overwrite them with malicious JSON payloads.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe, extending beyond simple data leakage to potential remote code execution and system compromise depending on the surrounding infrastructure. If the overwritten files are subsequently read by privileged processes or used in contexts that interpret their content as executable logic or configuration directives, the attack chain can escalate significantly. For instance, if a config file containing security policies or agent instructions is corrupted via this method, it could lead to unauthorized access control bypasses or cause the agents to perform unintended actions under the guise of legitimate operations. Furthermore, since JSON files are often used for state persistence and inter-process communication in such systems, corrupting these files can also lead to denial of service conditions by crashing the application when it attempts to parse malformed data structures during subsequent runs.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory, which describes scenarios where software does not properly neutralize special elements within a file path that can cause the path to resolve to a location outside of the intended directory. Additionally, from an offensive security perspective, this technique is consistent with ATT&CK tactic T1564: Host File System Attribute Modification and potentially T1078: Valid Accounts if used in conjunction with credential theft or persistence mechanisms established through file system manipulation. The lack of input validation represents a fundamental failure in the principle of least privilege and secure coding practices, where user-supplied data is never trusted implicitly regardless of its source within the application logic.
To mitigate this vulnerability, organizations must immediately upgrade to PraisonAI version 1.6.58 or later, which implements proper sanitization of the user_id parameter before it is used in path construction. This fix ensures that any potentially malicious characters are neutralized, thereby preventing directory traversal attacks. In environments where upgrading is not immediately feasible, temporary mitigations should include implementing strict input validation at the application boundary to reject any inputs containing relative path sequences or non-alphanumeric characters expected for user identifiers. Additionally, running the PraisonAI service with restricted file system permissions can limit the blast radius of such an attack by ensuring that even if a write operation succeeds outside the intended directory, it cannot overwrite critical system files or sensitive configuration data located in higher-privilege directories. Regular security audits and static code analysis tools configured to detect path traversal vulnerabilities should also be employed to identify similar flaws across the broader codebase before they can be exploited in production environments.