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CowAgent EUVDEUVD-2026-53705

| CVE-2026-18992 LOW
Incorrect Authorization (CWE-863)
2026-08-06 VulDB GHSA-wjcq-xp37-c947
2.1
CVSS 4.0 · Vendor: VulDB
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Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Access
    Obtain low-privilege CowAgent account
  2. Delivery
    Send crafted request to Self-Evolution agent endpoint
  3. Exploit
    Exploit incorrect authorization logic in _select_tools
  4. Execution
    Access tools or capabilities beyond authorized scope
  5. Impact
    Read, modify, or disrupt CowAgent-managed data

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A01:2025 - Broken Access Control
ASVS 5.0
V8 - Authorization Authorization logic validation
MITRE ATT&CK

1 technique across 1 tactic: Privilege Escalation

The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up.

Exploitation Conditions

Exploitation requires the attacker to hold a valid low-privilege authenticated session within CowAgent (PR:L from CVSS 4.0 vector - unauthenticated exploitation is not supported by the available data). The Self-Evolution Review Agent feature must be active and reachable, meaning the agent/evolution/executor.py code path must be enabled in the deployment. No user interaction from a victim is required (UI:N), and no special attack complexity or preconditions beyond authentication are indicated (AC:L/AT:N). Exploitation is limited to the CowAgent application's own trust boundary - no scope change to external systems is indicated. The primary limiting factor is the authentication requirement: environments where all CowAgent users are equally trusted (single-user or fully-trusted internal deployments) face negligible practical risk from authorization bypass.

Impact

The CVSS 4.0 score of 5.3 (Medium) reflects bounded but real impact: all three vulnerable-system impact metrics (VC:L/VI:L/VA:L) are low, and no subsequent-system impact is indicated (SC:N/SI:N/SA:N), suggesting the breach is contained within CowAgent's own trust boundary. The attack vector is network (AV:N) with low complexity (AC:L) and no attack requirements (AT:N), meaning exploitation is straightforward once authentication is obtained. PR:L confirms a low-privilege authenticated account is required - this is a meaningful barrier that filters out opportunistic unauthenticated attackers. The exploit-public flag (E:P) elevates practical risk: the GitHub issue thread serves as a public POC, lowering the skill threshold for exploitation. No CISA KEV listing exists, and no EPSS score was provided, leaving widespread exploitation probability unconfirmed. For organizations running CowAgent with multi-tenant or role-differentiated user bases, the risk is moderately elevated due to the authorization bypass nature; single-user or internally-isolated deployments face lower practical exposure. Overall this is a real but targeted-scope issue, not a mass-exploitation candidate.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An attacker with a low-privilege CowAgent account sends a crafted request to the Self-Evolution Review Agent endpoint, manipulating parameters consumed by the _select_tools function in agent/evolution/executor.py to bypass authorization checks. Because the public exploit code from the GitHub issue (https://github.com/zhayujie/CowAgent/issues/2904) demonstrates the technique, a moderately skilled attacker can replicate it, gaining access to tools or agent capabilities gated behind higher-privilege roles. The impact is limited to the CowAgent application boundary (VC:L/VI:L/VA:L), but in multi-tenant deployments this could expose other users' data or allow unauthorized agent actions.

Monitor Track and reassess. Why: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9).
No patch listed yet 0.2% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Aug 06, 2026

Incorrect authorization in zhayujie CowAgent up to version 2.1.1 allows low-privilege authenticated remote attackers to bypass access controls in the Self-Evolution Review Agent component. The flaw resides in the _select_tools function of agent/evolution/executor.py (CWE-863), where authorization logic is implemented incorrectly, potentially permitting access to tools or agent capabilities outside the caller's intended permission scope. Publicly available exploit code exists (E:P in CVSS 4.0 vector), though active exploitation has not been confirmed by CISA KEV.

RemediationAI

No vendor-released patch has been identified at the time of analysis - no fixed version number is available from the provided data, advisory references, or the VulDB entry at https://vuldb.com/cve/CVE-2026-18992. The GitHub issue thread at https://github.com/zhayujie/CowAgent/issues/2904 and associated comment https://github.com/zhayujie/CowAgent/issues/2904#issuecomment-4756833239 should be monitored for upstream maintainer responses or merged fixes. As an immediate compensating control, operators should restrict access to the Self-Evolution Review Agent component by limiting which authenticated users can reach the agent/evolution executor endpoint - this reduces the PR:L attack surface to only trusted accounts. If the self-evolution feature is non-essential in your deployment, disabling it entirely via configuration eliminates the vulnerable code path without impacting core agent functionality. Audit all role assignments within CowAgent to enforce least-privilege access, ensuring low-privilege users cannot reach tool-selection endpoints. Watch the upstream repository for a tagged release addressing this issue before upgrading.

Affected VersionsENISA

CowAgent 2.1.0
CowAgent 2.1.1

Affected Packages

euvd cowagent no fix

Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)

Affects your stack

Affects 1 package in euvd

Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.

Technical ContextAI · show details

CowAgent (cpe:2.3:a:zhayujie:cowagent:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*) is a conversational AI agent framework developed by zhayujie that includes a Self-Evolution Review Agent - a subsystem responsible for dynamically selecting and orchestrating tools during agent execution. The vulnerable function _select_tools, located in agent/evolution/executor.py, implements CWE-863 (Incorrect Authorization): authorization logic is present but implemented incorrectly, meaning the system performs a check but reaches the wrong conclusion, as opposed to CWE-862 where no check exists at all. This distinction is important - the flaw is in the logic of the check, not its absence. The CVSS 4.0 vector (AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L) confirms network-reachable exploitation with low complexity and no special attack preconditions beyond holding a low-privilege account, consistent with an API or agent endpoint that trusts caller-supplied context insufficiently.

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Severity by source

Vendor (VulDB) PRIMARY 2.1 MEDIUM
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:L/VI:L/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:P
vuln.today AI 6.3 MEDIUM

Network-reachable with low-privilege authentication required; no scope change; all impacts low, consistent with contained authorization bypass within application boundary.

3.1 AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L
4.0 AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:L/VI:L/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Primary rating from Vendor (VulDB).

CVSS VectorVendor: VulDB

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Attack Requirements
None
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Vulnerable system: Confidentiality
Low
Vulnerable system: Integrity
Low
Vulnerable system: Availability
Low
Subsequent system: Confidentiality
None
Subsequent system: Integrity
None
Subsequent system: Availability
None

Lifecycle Timeline

3
Severity Changed
Aug 06, 2026 - 05:22 NVD
MEDIUM LOW
CVSS changed
Aug 06, 2026 - 05:22 NVD
5.3 (MEDIUM) 2.1 (LOW)
CVE Published
Aug 06, 2026 - 03:30 cve.org
MEDIUM 5.3

DescriptionCVE.org

A vulnerability was detected in zhayujie CowAgent up to 2.1.1. This vulnerability affects the function _select_tools of the file agent/evolution/executor.py of the component Self-Evolution Review Agent. Performing a manipulation results in incorrect authorization. The attack is possible to be carried out remotely. The exploit is now public and may be used.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.2%
Top 89% exploitable
Prevalence
Rare
niche open-source AI agent framework, limited known enterprise deployment
Exploit
POC
Public exploit code exists
Data Quality
7 sources
Confidence: High
EUVD NVD CVE.org EPSS Vulnrichment GitHub VulDB

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue
Severity LOW
CISA KEV No
Public POC Yes
EPSS 0.2%
Patch available No
Active threat No
Deciding rule
LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision· derived
Scheduled
Exploitation
Poc
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable
No
Human Impact· derived
Low
Technical Impact
Partial

Priority Score

30
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +10
PoC: +20
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Authentication bypass attacks exploit flaws in the verification mechanisms that control access to systems and applications.

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