# CVE-2026-40116: PraisonAI's Unauthenticated WebSocket Endpoint Proxies to Paid OpenAI Realtime API Without Rate Limits

> Unauthenticated attackers can exhaust server resources and drain OpenAI API credits via an unprotected WebSocket endpoint in PraisonAI.

- **Severity:** High 7.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 9 Apr 2026
- **Updated:** 14 Apr 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-q5r4-47m9-5mc7, PYSEC-2026-2920

## What is CVE-2026-40116?

CVE-2026-40116 is a high-severity missing authorization vulnerability in MervinPraison PraisonAI, published on 9 Apr 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

PraisonAI is a multi-agent teams system. Prior to 4.5.128, the /media-stream WebSocket endpoint in PraisonAI's call module accepts connections from any client without authentication or Twilio signature validation. Each connection opens an authenticated session to OpenAI's Realtime API using the server's API key. There are no limits on concurrent connections, message rate, or message size, allowing an unauthenticated attacker to exhaust server resources and drain the victim's OpenAI API credits. This vulnerability is fixed in 4.5.128.

Weakness: CWE-770 (Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-40116?

3 open source packages ship an affected version, including praisonai and PraisonAI. It affects 1 product.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `praisonai` | PyPI | All versions | 4.5.128 |
| `praisonai` | PyPI | All versions | 4.5.128 |
| `PraisonAI` | PyPI | All versions | 4.5.128 |

Products: Praison Praisonai.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-40116?

Upgrade praisonai to 4.5.128 or later.

## Is CVE-2026-40116 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2026-40116 exists.

## Other vulnerabilities in MervinPraison PraisonAI

- [CVE-2026-39888](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-39888/): PraisonAIAgents has a sandbox escape via exception frame traversal in `execute_code` (subprocess mode) (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2026-41497](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-41497/): Incomplete fix for CVE-2026-34935: Command Injection in MervinPraison/PraisonAI (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2026-40288](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-40288/): PraisonAI: Critical RCE via `type: job` workflow YAML (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2026-39890](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-39890/): PraisonAI Affected by Remote Code Execution via YAML Deserialization in Agent Definition Loading (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2026-34934](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-34934/): PraisonAI: Second-Order SQL Injection in `get_all_user_threads` (critical 9.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-40116 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-40116 is a high-severity missing authorization vulnerability in MervinPraison PraisonAI, published on 9 Apr 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2026-40116 exists.

Affected packages and fixed versions:
- praisonai (PyPI): affected all versions; fixed in 4.5.128
- praisonai (PyPI): affected all versions; fixed in 4.5.128
- PraisonAI (PyPI): affected all versions; fixed in 4.5.128

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-40116/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-40116/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-40116
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-40116
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-40116

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-40116/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.