{
    "dataType": "CVE_RECORD",
    "dataVersion": "5.2",
    "cveMetadata": {
        "cveId": "CVE-2026-49986",
        "assignerOrgId": "a0819718-46f1-4df5-94e2-005712e83aaa",
        "state": "PUBLISHED",
        "assignerShortName": "GitHub_M",
        "dateReserved": "2026-06-02T18:30:51.282Z",
        "datePublished": "2026-08-14T16:21:39.125Z",
        "dateUpdated": "2026-08-14T16:21:39.125Z"
    },
    "containers": {
        "cna": {
            "title": "Cortex has Untrusted Project Bootstrap Code Execution via `CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR`",
            "problemTypes": [
                {
                    "descriptions": [
                        {
                            "cweId": "CWE-829",
                            "lang": "en",
                            "description": "CWE-829: Inclusion of Functionality from Untrusted Control Sphere",
                            "type": "CWE"
                        }
                    ]
                }
            ],
            "metrics": [
                {
                    "cvssV4_0": {
                        "attackVector": "LOCAL",
                        "attackComplexity": "LOW",
                        "attackRequirements": "NONE",
                        "privilegesRequired": "LOW",
                        "userInteraction": "NONE",
                        "vulnConfidentialityImpact": "HIGH",
                        "vulnIntegrityImpact": "HIGH",
                        "vulnAvailabilityImpact": "HIGH",
                        "subConfidentialityImpact": "NONE",
                        "subIntegrityImpact": "NONE",
                        "subAvailabilityImpact": "NONE",
                        "baseScore": 7.1,
                        "baseSeverity": "HIGH",
                        "vectorString": "CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:P",
                        "version": "4.0"
                    }
                }
            ],
            "references": [
                {
                    "name": "https://github.com/cdeust/Cortex/security/advisories/GHSA-gvpp-v77h-5w8g",
                    "tags": [
                        "x_refsource_CONFIRM"
                    ],
                    "url": "https://github.com/cdeust/Cortex/security/advisories/GHSA-gvpp-v77h-5w8g"
                },
                {
                    "name": "https://github.com/cdeust/Cortex/releases/tag/v3.17.1",
                    "tags": [
                        "x_refsource_MISC"
                    ],
                    "url": "https://github.com/cdeust/Cortex/releases/tag/v3.17.1"
                },
                {
                    "name": "https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/neuro-cortex-memory/PYSEC-2026-2676.yaml",
                    "tags": [
                        "x_refsource_MISC"
                    ],
                    "url": "https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/neuro-cortex-memory/PYSEC-2026-2676.yaml"
                }
            ],
            "affected": [
                {
                    "vendor": "cdeust",
                    "product": "Cortex",
                    "versions": [
                        {
                            "version": "< 3.17.1",
                            "status": "affected"
                        }
                    ]
                }
            ],
            "providerMetadata": {
                "orgId": "a0819718-46f1-4df5-94e2-005712e83aaa",
                "shortName": "GitHub_M",
                "dateUpdated": "2026-08-14T16:21:39.125Z"
            },
            "descriptions": [
                {
                    "lang": "en",
                    "value": "The Cortex MCP server (`neuro-cortex-memory`), a cross-platform persistent memory MCP, prior to version 3.17.1 treats the `CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR` environment variable — automatically set by Claude Code to the currently open project directory — as a trusted Cortex developer checkout. When the `open_visualization` tool is invoked, `_find_dev_source()` resolves the user's active project directory as a candidate Cortex source root. The only validation performed by `_is_cortex_root()` is a check for the presence of an `mcp_server/` subdirectory and a `ui/unified-viz.html` file. An attacker who places these two marker files in a malicious repository can cause Cortex to execute an arbitrary `mcp_server/server/visualize_bootstrap.py` from that directory via `subprocess.run([sys.executable, ...])`, achieving code execution with the privileges of the victim's local user process. Version 3.17.1 fixes the issue."
                }
            ],
            "source": {
                "advisory": "GHSA-gvpp-v77h-5w8g",
                "discovery": "UNKNOWN"
            }
        }
    }
}