CVE-2025-0742: Thesamur Embedai Access Control Vulnerability

CVE-2025-0742 Overview

CVE-2025-0742 is an Improper Access Control vulnerability affecting EmbedAI version 2.1 and earlier. The flaw resides in the /embedai/files/show/<FILE_ID> endpoint, which fails to verify that the requesting user owns the referenced file. An authenticated attacker can retrieve files uploaded by other users by iterating or guessing the FILE_ID parameter. The issue is classified under [CWE-284: Improper Access Control] and impacts confidentiality of user-supplied data stored in the application.

Critical Impact
Any authenticated EmbedAI user can read files belonging to other tenants, exposing potentially sensitive documents ingested for embedding and retrieval workflows.

Affected Products

Thesamur EmbedAI version 2.1
Thesamur EmbedAI versions prior to 2.1
Deployments exposing the /embedai/files/show/<FILE_ID> endpoint

Discovery Timeline

2025-01-30 - CVE-2025-0742 published to the National Vulnerability Database
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-0742

Vulnerability Analysis

EmbedAI exposes a file-viewing endpoint at /embedai/files/show/<FILE_ID> that returns the contents of stored files based on the identifier supplied in the URL path. The application authenticates the requester but does not confirm that the authenticated session owns the referenced FILE_ID. This missing ownership check produces an Insecure Direct Object Reference (IDOR).

An attacker with any valid EmbedAI account can substitute another user's FILE_ID value and receive that file's contents. Because EmbedAI is used to ingest documents for retrieval-augmented generation, exposed files often contain proprietary corpora, internal knowledge bases, or personally identifiable information.

The attack requires network access to the EmbedAI instance and low-privilege authenticated credentials. No user interaction is required, and the scope remains within the application. Integrity and availability are unaffected, but confidentiality is fully compromised for accessible files.

Root Cause

The root cause is a missing authorization check on the file retrieval handler. The endpoint trusts the FILE_ID path parameter as a direct object reference without cross-referencing it against the authenticated session's owned resources.

Attack Vector

Exploitation proceeds over HTTP after authentication. An attacker enumerates or guesses FILE_ID values, then issues GET requests to /embedai/files/show/<FILE_ID>. Successful responses return files owned by other users. Refer to the INCIBE Vulnerability Notice for coordinated disclosure details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-0742

Indicators of Compromise

Sequential or high-volume GET requests to /embedai/files/show/ with varying FILE_ID values from a single session.
Access logs showing a single authenticated user retrieving files associated with multiple distinct owner accounts.
Response codes of 200 for FILE_ID values not previously uploaded by the requesting user.

Detection Strategies

Correlate application logs to identify sessions accessing file identifiers outside their upload history.
Deploy a web application firewall rule that alerts on rapid enumeration patterns against the /embedai/files/show/ path.
Baseline per-user file access frequency and flag deviations exceeding normal retrieval rates.

Monitoring Recommendations

Forward EmbedAI HTTP access logs into a centralized SIEM for cross-session correlation.
Monitor authentication logs alongside file access events to attribute enumeration activity to specific accounts.
Alert on any 200 response for /embedai/files/show/<FILE_ID> where the FILE_ID was not owned by the requesting user.

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-0742

Immediate Actions Required

Upgrade EmbedAI to a version later than 2.1 once the vendor publishes a fixed release.
Restrict EmbedAI access to trusted networks or place the application behind a reverse proxy that enforces additional authorization.
Audit existing file storage to identify whether unauthorized access has already occurred by reviewing historical HTTP logs.

Patch Information

At the time of publication, no vendor advisory URL or patched release is referenced in the NVD entry. Consult the INCIBE Vulnerability Notice and the EmbedAI project repository for updated remediation guidance.

Workarounds

Replace numeric or predictable FILE_ID values with unguessable identifiers such as version 4 UUIDs to raise enumeration difficulty.
Add an application-level authorization middleware that verifies the authenticated user owns the requested FILE_ID before returning content.
Rotate or invalidate shared credentials and disable low-trust accounts until a patched build is deployed.

bash

# Example reverse-proxy rule limiting access to the vulnerable endpoint
# Restrict /embedai/files/show/ to internal IP ranges pending a vendor patch
location ~ ^/embedai/files/show/ {
    allow 10.0.0.0/8;
    deny all;
    proxy_pass http://embedai_backend;
}