CVE-2026-75857: CodeWhale: exec_shell_interact sends LLM-controlled input to a running shell without an approval prompt (privilege escalation)
exec_shell is correctly approval-gated. Its sibling exec_shell_interact returns ApprovalRequirement::Auto, so when the model writes input into a shell the user already approved (a python3 -i REPL, mysql, ssh, sudo -i, etc.), no prompt fires. Inside those processes, “stdin” is the command surface, so the model gets to run commands at whatever privilege that process holds. The user approved opening the shell once, for a stated purpose; the input that then runs in it is chosen by the model, and can be steered by any prompt injection the agent ingests afterward.
References
- github.com/Hmbown/CodeWhale/commit/57f3c89471e27ac4032d9791f6885e5d4408c381
- github.com/Hmbown/CodeWhale/security/advisories/GHSA-g29h-pfmp-qp9r
- github.com/advisories/GHSA-g29h-pfmp-qp9r
- nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-75857
- www.vulncheck.com/advisories/codewhale-before-privilege-escalation-via-exec-shell-interact
Code Behaviors & Features
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