CVE-2026-45018 — Chainlit is a Python framework for building production-ready conversational AI…¶

Key facts

CVE-2026-45018 is a Critical (9.8) vulnerability: Chainlit is a Python framework for building production-ready conversational AI…. This entry ships a detection-only PoC and a Docker test lab.


CVE	CVE-2026-45018
Severity	Critical (9.8)
Detection / prevention	—
PoC	poc.py
Source	2026/CVE-2026-45018/

Details¶

English | 한국어

Description¶

Chainlit is a Python framework for building production-ready conversational AI applications. From 2.4.0rc0 until 2.12.0, Chainlit deployments with features.mcp.enabled set to true in .chainlit/config.toml expose the POST /mcp endpoint without requiring authentication. For stdio transport, the endpoint accepts a user-controlled fullCommand string. The validate_mcp_command() function in backend/chainlit/mcp.py checks only the executable name against config.features.mcp.stdio.allowed_executables and passes unchecked arguments to StdioServerParameters in backend/chainlit/server.py. Because npx supports the -c argument, an attacker can execute arbitrary shell commands with the privileges of the Chainlit process. If allowed_executables is unset, its None default is treated as allowing every executable. This issue is fixed in version 2.12.0.

Vulnerability Details¶

Property	Value
CVE ID	CVE-2026-45018
Type	RCE
CVSS Score	9.8

Proof of Concept¶

Download¶

# Download PoC script
curl -O https://raw.githubusercontent.com/fankh/vulnerability-poc/main/2026/CVE-2026-45018/poc.py

Usage¶

# Run PoC against target
python3 poc.py --target <TARGET_URL>

# With authentication
python3 poc.py --target <TARGET_URL> --username <USER> --password <PASS>

⚠️ Warning: This PoC is for authorized security testing only. It uses detection-only techniques and does not exploit or damage target systems.

Test Lab¶

This repository includes a Docker-based test environment with both vulnerable and patched applications.

Quick Start¶

# Clone and navigate to CVE directory
cd CVE-2026-45018

# Start both applications
docker-compose up -d

# Run tests
./run-tests.sh    # Linux/Mac
./run-tests.ps1   # Windows PowerShell

Application Endpoints¶

Application	URL	Status
Vulnerable App	http://localhost:8080	Shows vulnerability
Patched App	http://localhost:8081	Demonstrates fix

Directory Structure¶

├── README.md           # English documentation
├── README_KO.md        # Korean documentation
├── poc.py              # PoC detection script
├── docker-compose.yml  # Container orchestration
├── run-tests.sh        # Linux/Mac test runner
├── run-tests.ps1       # Windows test runner
├── vulnerable-app/     # Vulnerable version
│   ├── app.py
│   ├── Dockerfile
│   └── requirements.txt
└── patched-app/        # Fixed version
    ├── app.py
    ├── Dockerfile
    └── requirements.txt

References¶

https://github.com/Chainlit/chainlit/blob/2.12.0/docs/security-advisory-2026-mcp.md#spl-2026-001--command-injection-via-mcp-stdio
https://github.com/Chainlit/chainlit/commit/0565fd0eccb915fce159929598b053ed79f6e0c9
https://github.com/Chainlit/chainlit/releases/tag/2.12.0
https://github.com/Chainlit/chainlit/security/advisories/GHSA-w3fx-mc44-mf6j
https://github.com/Chainlit/chainlit/security/advisories/GHSA-w3fx-mc44-mf6j

Generated by PoC Generator on 2026-08-26T06:08:21.370292159

Frequently asked questions¶

What is CVE-2026-45018?¶

CVE-2026-45018 is a Critical (9.8) vulnerability: Chainlit is a Python framework for building production-ready conversational AI…. This entry ships a detection-only PoC and a Docker test lab.

How do I detect CVE-2026-45018?¶

Run the detection-only PoC included with this entry against your Docker test lab to confirm whether a target is affected; pair it with your own IDS logging.

How do I block or mitigate CVE-2026-45018?¶

Upgrade to a fixed version per the vendor advisory; the NVD record lists the affected versions. Use the included PoC to verify your remediation.

For authorized security testing and research only. See the full source and NVD record.