{
 "id": "CVE-2026-49986",
 "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.",
 "published": "2026-08-14",
 "last_modified": "2026-09-18",
 "vuln_status": "Deferred",
 "cna": "security-advisories@github.com",
 "cvss": {
  "version": "4.0",
  "score": 7.1,
  "severity": "HIGH",
  "vector": "CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:P/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X",
  "source": "security-advisories@github.com"
 },
 "cwe": [
  "CWE-829"
 ],
 "products": [
  {
   "vendor": "Anthropic",
   "product": "Claude Code",
   "versions_affected": null,
   "fixed_in": null,
   "product_id": null
  }
 ],
 "category": "product",
 "surface": [
  "code_execution",
  "tool_execution",
  "supply_chain"
 ],
 "kev": null,
 "fix": {
  "status": "unknown",
  "version": null,
  "url": null
 },
 "references": [
  {
   "url": "https://github.com/cdeust/Cortex/releases/tag/v3.17.1",
   "source": "security-advisories@github.com",
   "tags": []
  },
  {
   "url": "https://github.com/cdeust/Cortex/security/advisories/GHSA-gvpp-v77h-5w8g",
   "source": "security-advisories@github.com",
   "tags": []
  },
  {
   "url": "https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/neuro-cortex-memory/PYSEC-2026-2676.yaml",
   "source": "security-advisories@github.com",
   "tags": []
  },
  {
   "url": "https://github.com/cdeust/Cortex/security/advisories/GHSA-gvpp-v77h-5w8g",
   "source": "134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0",
   "tags": []
  }
 ],
 "related_agents": [
  "anthropic-claude-code"
 ],
 "related_incidents": [],
 "match": {
  "tests": [
   "A:name",
   "B:vocabulary"
  ],
  "terms": [
   "claude-code:Claude Code",
   "mcp server"
  ]
 },
 "status": "candidate",
 "note": null,
 "reviewer": null,
 "checked_on": null,
 "retrieved_on": "2026-10-25"
}