Findings

CVE-2026-33621

PinchTab is a standalone HTTP server that gives AI agents direct control over a Chrome browser.

Published Mar 26, 2026 · updated Jun 17, 2026 · pinchtab pinchtab

PinchTab is a standalone HTTP server that gives AI agents direct control over a Chrome browser. PinchTab through contain incomplete request-throttling protections for auth-checkable endpoints. In through , a fully implemented existed in but was not inserted into the production HTTP handler chain, so requests were not subject to the intended per-IP throttle. In the same pre- range, the original limiter also keyed clients using , which would have allowed client-controlled header spoofing if the middleware had been enabled. addressed those two issues by wiring the limiter into the live handler chain and switching the key to the immediate peer IP, but it still exempted and from rate limiting even though remained an auth-checkable endpoint when a token was configured. This issue weakens defense in depth for deployments where an attacker can reach the API, especially if a weak human-chosen token is used. It is not a direct authentication bypass or token disclosure issue by itself. PinchTab is documented as local-first by default and uses plus a generated random token in the recommended setup. PinchTab's default deployment model is a local-first, user-controlled environment between the user and their agents; wider exposure is an intentional operator choice. This lowers practical risk in the default configuration, even though it does not by itself change the intrinsic base characteristics of the bug. This was fully addressed in by applying in the production handler chain, deriving the client address from the immediate peer IP instead of trusting forwarded headers by default, and removing the and exemption so auth-checkable endpoints are throttled as well.

Code

The project this record applies to. Exploit listings stay in References.

Timeline

Detection, updates, and resolution for this record.

  1. Mar 26, 2026 · NIST NVD

    Detected

    PinchTab is a standalone HTTP server that gives AI agents direct control over a Chrome browser. PinchTab through contain incomplete request-throttling protections for auth-checkable endpoints. In through , a fully implemented existed in but was not inserted into the production HTTP handler chain, so requests were not subject to the intended per-IP throttle. In the same pre- range, the original lim

  2. Jun 17, 2026 · NIST NVD

    Updated

    PinchTab is a standalone HTTP server that gives AI agents direct control over a Chrome browser. PinchTab through contain incomplete request-throttling protections for auth-checkable endpoints. In through , a fully implemented existed in but was not inserted into the production HTTP handler chain, so requests were not subject to the intended per-IP throttle. In the same pre- range, the original lim

Affected

  • cpe pinchtab/pinchtabversion unspecified

Sources

  • CVE.orgVulnerability recordCVE-2026-33621

    Official CVE identifier

    cve.org
  • NIST NVDVulnerability recordCVE-2026-33621

    PinchTab is a standalone HTTP server that gives AI agents direct control over a Chrome browser. PinchTab through contain incomplete request-throttling protections for auth-checkable endpoints. In through , a fully implemented `RateLimitMiddlewar

    nvd.nist.gov

References