CVE-2024-7043: Open WebUI Access Control Vulnerability

CVE-2024-7043 Overview

CVE-2024-7043 is an improper access control vulnerability in open-webui version 0.3.8. The application fails to verify administrator privileges on file management endpoints. Any authenticated low-privilege user can enumerate, retrieve, and delete files uploaded by other users. The flaw affects the GET /api/v1/files/, GET /api/v1/files/{file_id}, and DELETE /api/v1/files/{file_id} API routes. The weakness maps to [CWE-862] Missing Authorization.

Critical Impact
Authenticated attackers can read and delete arbitrary files uploaded by any user, compromising confidentiality and integrity of stored data across the open-webui deployment.

Affected Products

openwebui open_webui version 0.3.8
Deployments exposing the open-webui REST API to authenticated users
Multi-tenant open-webui instances with non-administrative accounts

Discovery Timeline

2025-03-20 - CVE-2024-7043 published to NVD
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-7043

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability originates in the file management API of open-webui 0.3.8. Route handlers for file listing, retrieval, and deletion do not enforce role-based access control. Authenticated users receive the same authorization scope regardless of their assigned role. The server treats a valid session token as sufficient authority to operate on any file resource.

An attacker with any authenticated account can issue GET /api/v1/files/ to enumerate every uploaded file, including file identifiers and metadata belonging to other users. Using each returned file_id, the attacker calls GET /api/v1/files/{file_id} to download file contents. The DELETE /api/v1/files/{file_id} endpoint accepts the same low-privilege token and destroys the target file.

Root Cause

The root cause is missing authorization checks [CWE-862] on privileged file endpoints. The handlers verify authentication but omit an administrator role check. This allows horizontal and vertical privilege escalation against file resources.

Attack Vector

Exploitation requires only network access and valid low-privilege credentials. The attacker sends standard HTTPS requests to the exposed API. No user interaction, elevated privileges, or complex conditions are required. The Huntr bounty report documents the endpoint sequence and behavior. See the Huntr Bounty Report for the technical write-up.

No verified public exploit code is available. The exploitation chain reduces to three sequential authenticated REST calls against the /api/v1/files/ routes.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-7043

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected GET /api/v1/files/ requests from non-administrator user sessions.
High-volume enumeration of GET /api/v1/files/{file_id} calls from a single session or IP.
DELETE /api/v1/files/{file_id} operations issued by accounts without administrative roles.
File deletion events without corresponding administrator audit trails.

Detection Strategies

Correlate API request logs with the authenticated user's role and flag file endpoint access by non-administrators.
Baseline normal file API activity per user and alert on sudden enumeration bursts.
Alert on cross-user access patterns where one account touches file IDs owned by many other users.

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable verbose access logging on the open-webui reverse proxy or ingress controller.
Ship API logs to a centralized analytics platform for role-aware query rules.
Monitor deletion volume on the files collection and alert on anomalous spikes.

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-7043

Immediate Actions Required

Upgrade open-webui to a version later than 0.3.8 that enforces authorization on file endpoints.
Restrict network exposure of the open-webui API to trusted users using a reverse proxy or VPN.
Audit existing file storage for missing or unauthorized deletions and restore from backup as needed.
Rotate API tokens and session secrets for accounts that may have been abused.

Patch Information

No vendor advisory URL is listed in NVD for CVE-2024-7043. Consult the Huntr Bounty Report and the open-webui project release notes for a fixed release that adds administrator role verification on GET /api/v1/files/, GET /api/v1/files/{file_id}, and DELETE /api/v1/files/{file_id}.

Workarounds

Place open-webui behind an authenticating reverse proxy that restricts the /api/v1/files/ path to administrator users only.
Disable self-service user registration to limit the population of authenticated accounts.
Apply web application firewall rules that block non-administrator sessions from reaching file management routes.

bash

# Example NGINX rule restricting /api/v1/files/ to an internal admin network
location /api/v1/files/ {
    allow 10.0.0.0/24;   # admin subnet
    deny  all;
    proxy_pass http://open_webui_backend;
}