CVE-2026-40288 | PraisonAI: Critical RCE via `type: job` workflow YAML

Exp

PraisonAI is a multi-agent teams system. In versions below 4.5.139 of PraisonAI and 1.5.140 of praisonaiagents, the workflow engine is vulnerable to arbitrary command and code execution through untrusted YAML files. When praisonai workflow run <file.yaml> loads a YAML file with type: job, the JobWorkflowExecutor in job_workflow.py processes steps that support run: (shell commands via subprocess.run()), script: (inline Python via exec()), and python: (arbitrary Python script execution)—all without any validation, sandboxing, or user confirmation. The affected code paths include action_run() in workflow.py and _exec_shell(), _exec_inline_python(), and _exec_python_script() in job_workflow.py. An attacker who can supply or influence a workflow YAML file (particularly in CI pipelines, shared repositories, or multi-tenant deployment environments) can achieve full arbitrary command execution on the host system, compromising the machine and any accessible data or credentials. This issue has been fixed in versions 4.5.139 of PraisonAI and 1.5.140 of praisonaiagents.

Published: 2026-04-14 Last update: 2026-04-20 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]
NVD Status：Analyzed，CVE State: published
View at NVD, CVE.org, EUVD

CVE-2026-40288 is rated High Exploit Risk (61.3/100): CVSS Critical severity, with low exploitation likelihood (EPSS 0.07%). 1 public exploit reference(s) are indexed (Exploit-DB). Public exploits are available—assess exposure, apply mitigations, and prioritize patching.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Public exploit references (Exploit-DB) for CVE-2026-40288

EDB-ID Source Kind Published Link
— nvd_ref exploit_tag Exploit-DB ↗

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2026-40288

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2026-04-14 — 0.07% —

Full EPSS history (1 record total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2026-40288

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
9.8 3.1 CRITICAL
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:N)
No account or special rights needed—anonymous or random user is enough.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
 3.9 5.9 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2026-40288

GitHub Security Advisory for CVE-2026-40288

GHSA-vc46-vw85-3wvm · Severity: critical · Ecosystem: pip — PraisonAI has critical RCE via `type: job` workflow YAML

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2026-40288

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
praison praisonai < 4.5.139 cpe:2.3:a:praison:praisonai:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
praison praisonaiagents < 1.5.140 cpe:2.3:a:praison:praisonaiagents:*:*:*:*:*:python:*:*

References for CVE-2026-40288

cvelogic Threat Intelligence