Full Report
Security vulnerabilities were uncovered in the popular open-source artificial intelligence (AI) framework Chainlit that could allow attackers to steal sensitive data, which may allow for lateral movement within a susceptible organization. Zafran Security said the high-severity flaws, collectively dubbed ChainLeak, could be abused to leak cloud environment API keys and steal sensitive files, or
Analysis Summary
# Vulnerability: ChainLeak: Arbitrary File Read and SSRF in Chainlit AI Framework
## CVE Details
- CVE ID: CVE-2026-22218, CVE-2026-22219
- CVSS Score: 7.1 (High) for CVE-2026-22218; 8.3 (High) for CVE-2026-22219
- CWE: Missing input validation (Implied for File Read); Server-Side Request Forgery (Implied for SSRF)
## Affected Systems
- Products: Chainlit (open-source AI framework for conversational chatbots)
- Versions: Prior to version 2.9.4
- Configurations: Both vulnerabilities reside in the "/project/element" update flow. CVE-2026-22219 specifically affects configurations using **SQLAlchemy** as the data layer backend.
## Vulnerability Description
The ChainLeak series consists of two high-severity vulnerabilities discovered in the Chainlit framework:
1. **CVE-2026-22218 (Arbitrary File Read):** Attacker, after authentication, can read the contents of any file accessible by the service via the "/project/element" update flow due to insufficient validation of user-controlled fields. This can lead to the leakage of environment variables (e.g., API keys via `/proc/self/environ`) or sensitive files like SQLite database files if SQLAlchemy with SQLite is used.
2. **CVE-2026-22219 (Server-Side Request Forgery - SSRF):** Also in the "/project/element" update flow when using the SQLAlchemy data layer, an attacker can force the Chainlit server to make arbitrary HTTP requests to internal network services or cloud metadata endpoints (e.g., AWS EC2 metadata endpoints).
These flaws can be chained to leak credentials, escalate privileges, and facilitate lateral movement.
## Exploitation
- Status: Details imply the vulnerabilities are targetable with Proof-of-Concept (PoC) functionality available based on the detailed exploitation techniques described (e.g., reading `/proc/self/environ`).
- Complexity: Likely **Low to Medium**, as both require prior authentication but exploit core input handling weaknesses.
- Attack Vector: **Network** (via application requests).
## Impact
- Confidentiality: **High** (Leakage of API keys, credentials, sensitive files, internal paths).
- Integrity: **Medium/High** (Potential for credential theft leading to further system compromise).
- Availability: **Low** (Primary impact is data exposure, not service disruption).
## Remediation
### Patches
- All versions prior to **Chainlit version 2.9.4** are vulnerable.
- **Patch:** Upgrade to **Chainlit version 2.9.4** or later (released December 24, 2025).
### Workarounds
- No explicit workarounds were detailed, but mitigating factors include:
* Restricting network access to internal services that the Chainlit server might otherwise reach via SSRF.
* Ensuring the service account running Chainlit has the minimum necessary file read permissions.
## Detection
- **Indicators of Compromise (IOCs):**
* Unusually high outbound network traffic originating from the Chainlit application server to internal infrastructure or cloud metadata services (SSRF).
* Attempts by the user session to access or save data related to configuration files or environment variables (File Read).
* Log entries indicating the Chainlit process read sensitive environment files (e.g., `/proc/self/environ`).
- **Detection Methods and Tools:**
* Network monitoring tools configured to alert on requests to internal IP ranges or known cloud metadata endpoints originating from the application server process (for SSRF).
* File access monitoring on the host system to detect unauthorized reads by the Chainlit service account.
## References
- Vendor Advisories: Chainlit release notes for version 2.9.4.
- Relevant Links:
* Report Origin: thehackernews com/2026/01/chainlit-ai-framework-flaws-enable-data html
* Chainlit GitHub Releases: github com/Chainlit/chainlit/releases/tag/2.9.4
* NVD Lookups (for verification): nvd nist gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-22218, nvd nist gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-22219