CVE intelligence and bounded remediation

CVE-2026-39420 — MaxKB is an open-source AI assistant for enterprise

High CVSS 7.4

MaxKB is an open-source AI assistant for enterprise. In versions 2.7.1 and below, an incomplete sandbox protection mechanism allows an authenticated user with tool execution privileges to escape the LD_PRELOAD-based sandbox. By env command the attacker can clear the environment variables and drop the sandbox.so hook, leading to unrestricted Remote Code Execution (RCE) and network access. MaxKB restricts untrusted Python code execution via the Tool Debug API by injecting sandbox.so through the LD_PRELOAD environment variable. This intercepts sensitive C library functions (like execve, socket, open) to restrict network and file access. However, a patch allowed the /usr/bin/env utility to be executed by the sandboxed user. When an attacker is permitted to create subprocesses, they can execute the env -i python command. The -i flag instructs env to completely clear all environment variables before running the target program. This effectively drops the LD_PRELOAD environment variable. The newly spawned Python process will therefore execute natively without any sandbox hooks, bypassing all network and file system restrictions. This issue has been fixed in version 2.8.0.

Severity
High
CVSS
7.4 (3.1)
Published
2026-04-14
CISA KEV
Not currently listed
Ecosystem
python/pypi
Weaknesses
CWE-78, CWE-693

Affected products

  • maxkb / maxkb

Matched remediation archetype

Command, code, expression, and template injection

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Check exposure

  • Trace untrusted values to process execution, interpreters, evaluators, template engines, dynamic imports, and administrative scripting features.
  • Determine whether the affected path is reachable across each trust boundary and which service account or host privilege it inherits.
  • Review configuration for optional execution features, unsafe compatibility modes, and shell invocation.

Remediate safely

  • Replace string-built commands or evaluated code with fixed operations and structured argument APIs that do not invoke a shell.
  • Use strict allowlists for operation identifiers and reject unexpected input before it reaches any interpreter.
  • Update the affected component and add inert regression tests covering metacharacters, encoding variants, and alternate request paths.

Authoritative sources

Complete CVE record and remediation plan

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