CVE-2024-7767: Onyx Access Control Bypass Vulnerability

CVE-2024-7767 Overview

CVE-2024-7767 is an improper access control vulnerability in danswer-ai/danswer (now Onyx) version 0.3.94. The flaw allows the first user created in the system to view, modify, and delete chats owned by Admin users. This authorization gap breaks the tenancy boundary between the initial account and administrative accounts, exposing sensitive conversation data and undermining data integrity. The issue is tracked under CWE-862: Missing Authorization and was disclosed through a Huntr bounty report.

Critical Impact
An authenticated first-created user can read, alter, and delete Admin-owned chats, leading to unauthorized data access, integrity loss, and potential compliance violations.

Affected Products

danswer-ai/danswer version 0.3.94
Onyx onyx0.3.94 (rebranded product line)
Deployments running the affected chat module with a pre-existing first user account

Discovery Timeline

2025-03-20 - CVE-2024-7767 published to NVD
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-7767

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability resides in the chat management authorization logic of danswer-ai/danswer 0.3.94. The application fails to enforce ownership checks when a request targets chat objects created by Admin users. Instead of validating that the requesting user owns the resource or holds a matching privilege, the backend grants the first-created system user broad access to chat records regardless of their creator.

This behavior maps to CWE-862: Missing Authorization. The attack requires an authenticated session on the first user account, is executable over the network, and does not require user interaction. Confidentiality and integrity are both impacted because chat contents can be read and mutated.

Root Cause

The root cause is a missing authorization check in the chat endpoints. The application appears to treat the first-created user as an implicit super-user for chat resources without validating the Admin role boundary or the chat owner identifier. Ownership and role verification are not applied consistently across read, update, and delete operations on chat records.

Attack Vector

An attacker who controls the first user account created during initial deployment authenticates to the Onyx/danswer instance. The attacker then issues standard chat API requests referencing chat identifiers belonging to Admin users. Because the backend does not enforce ownership or role-based authorization, the requests succeed, allowing enumeration, modification, and deletion of Admin chat data. Technical exploitation details are documented in the Huntr Bounty Report.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-7767

Indicators of Compromise

Chat API requests from the first user account referencing chat IDs owned by Admin accounts
Unexpected DELETE or PATCH/PUT operations against chat objects created by Admin users
Admin users reporting missing, altered, or truncated chat histories in the Onyx/danswer UI

Detection Strategies

Audit application logs for cross-user access patterns where a non-admin principal accesses Admin-owned chat resources
Compare the user_id on chat objects with the authenticated principal on each chat API call and alert on mismatches
Baseline normal chat access volume per user and flag statistical outliers, particularly for the first-created account

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable verbose HTTP access logging on the danswer/Onyx application and forward logs to a centralized SIEM
Track authentication events and privileged actions performed by the initial system account
Alert on bulk read or delete operations against the chat data store outside of maintenance windows

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-7767

Immediate Actions Required

Upgrade danswer-ai/danswer or Onyx to a version later than 0.3.94 that addresses the authorization check
Rotate credentials for the first-created user account and audit its recent activity
Review Admin chat histories for unauthorized modifications or deletions and restore from backup where needed

Patch Information

No vendor advisory URL is listed in the NVD record. Consult the project repository and the Huntr Bounty Report for the associated fix commit. Deploy the latest available release of Onyx and verify that chat endpoints enforce ownership and role checks on read, update, and delete operations.

Workarounds

Restrict network access to the danswer/Onyx application to trusted users while a patched version is deployed
Demote or disable the initial first-created account if it is not required for daily operations
Apply reverse-proxy authorization rules to block chat API paths for non-admin identities where feasible

bash

# Example: block unauthenticated and non-admin access to chat API at the reverse proxy
# nginx snippet - adapt to your identity provider
location /api/chat/ {
    auth_request /auth/verify-admin;
    proxy_pass http://onyx_backend;
}