GHSA-hjwc-26pj-v3pm AgenticMail: Cross-agent task authorization bypass in AgenticMail API
SummaryA low-privileged authenticated AgenticMail agent can enumerate another agent's pending/claimed tasks by supplying the target agent name to `GET /api/agenticmail/tasks/pending?assignee=<name>`. The returned task objects include the task IDs and payloads. The same task IDs can then be used with the capability-style task mutation endpoints (`/tasks/:id/claim`, `/tasks/:id/result`, `/tasks/:id/complete`, `/tasks/:id/fail`) to claim, complete, or fail tasks assigned to a different agent.Because ordinary authenticated agents can discover agent names through `GET /api/agenticmail/accounts/directory`, the task ID effectively stops being a secret capability. This turns the intended capability model into a cross-agent authorization bypass.Affected componentPackage: `@agenticmail/api`
Observed version: `0.9.62`
Repository: `agenticmail/agenticmail`Relevant code paths:`packages/api/src/app.ts`: `createAuthMiddleware(...)` is mounted before `createAccountRoutes(...)` and `createTaskRoutes(...)`, so these routes are reachable by any valid bearer token.`packages/api/src/routes/accounts.ts`: `GET /accounts/directory` is available to any authenticated user and returns agent names.`packages/api/src/routes/tasks.ts`: `GET /tasks/pending?assignee=name` resolves arbitrary agent names and returns that agent's pending/claimed tasks.`packages/api/src/routes/tasks.ts`: `/tasks/:id/claim`, `/tasks/:id/result`, `/tasks/:id/complete`, `/tasks/:id/fail`, and `/tasks/:id` do not check whether the authenticated caller is the task assignee, assigner, or otherwise authorized for the task.ImpactAn attacker only needs a valid agent API key. They can:List agent names using `/accounts/directory`.Query another agent's task queue using `/tasks/pending?assignee=<victimName>`.Read sensitive task payloads intended for the victim agent.Use the disclosed task ID to complete/fail/claim the victim's task or submit attacker-controlled results.Local reproductionI reproduced this locally with a focused Vitest test mounted directly on `createTaskRoutes`. The test creates two agents, Alice and Bob, and one pending task assigned to Bob. Alice authenticates with her own agent key and performs the following sequence:`GET /api/agenticmail/tasks/pending?assignee=Bob` with `Authorization: Bearer ak_alice`.The response is HTTP 200 and includes Bob's task ID and payload: `task-for-bob`, `{ "task": "secret task intended for Bob" }`.Alice then sends `POST /api/agenticmail/tasks/task-for-bob/complete` with her own bearer token and an attacker-controlled result.The task status becomes `completed` and the stored result is controlled by Alice.The local verification command was:Result:Expected behaviorTask listing and task mutation endpoints should enforce an authorization relationship between the authenticated caller and the task. For example:`GET /tasks/pending?assignee=<name>` should either be restricted to the current agent, master/admin callers, or an explicit delegated relationship.`/tasks/:id/claim`, `/tasks/:id/result`, `/tasks/:id/complete`, `/tasks/:id/fail`, and `/tasks/:id` should verify that the caller is the assignee, assigner, master/admin, or otherwise explicitly authorized.If capability-based task IDs are retained, the API should not expose those IDs to unrelated agents through the assignee-name listing path.CreditPlease credit the finder as: Yaohui Wang
CVSS v4.0 score: 7.1