CyberRota Analysis
AI-GeneratedThe Cortex MCP server prior to version 3.17.1 is vulnerable due to insufficient validation of the `CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR` environment variable, allowing an attacker to execute arbitrary code by placing specific marker files in a malicious repository. This vulnerability can lead to code execution with the privileges of the victim's local user process, posing a significant risk to users who interact with untrusted project directories. Organizations utilizing the Cortex MCP server should prioritize upgrading to version 3.17.1 to mitigate this high-severity risk.
Public Exploit Signal
A public exploit, PoC, GitHub repository or Metasploit reference was detected for this CVE.
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Original NVD Description
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.