GitHub Advisoryadvisory · PyPI
GHSA-gmfw-g93r-vg53 Open WebUI: Unauthenticated WebSocket Access to Collaborative Document Handlers (ydoc:awareness:update, ydoc:document:leave)
LOW
Official page ↗
- Aliases
- CVE-2026-59715
- Ecosystem
- PyPI
- Packages
- open-webui
- Severity
- Low
- CVSS vector
- CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N
- Weaknesses
- CWE-306
- Reviewed
- 2026-07-24
Affected packages
• PyPI open-webui: >= 0.6.16, < 0.10.0 → fixed in 0.10.0
Description
Summary
The Socket.IO server is configured with `always_connect=True` (lines 78, 91 in `backend/open_webui/socket/main.py`) and the `connect` handler (line 329) never rejects unauthenticated connections. Two Ydoc event handlers have zero authentication checks, allowing unauthenticated clients to interact with collaborative document sessions.
Vulnerable Code
`ydoc:awareness:update` (line 741) — No auth check at all
```python
@sio.on('ydoc:awareness:update')
async def yjs_awareness_update(sid, data):
document_id = data['document_id']
user_id = data.get('user_id', sid)
update = data['update']
# No SESSION_POOL check, no room membership check
await sio.emit(
'ydoc:awareness:update',
{'document_id': document_id, 'user_id': user_id, 'update': update},
room=f'doc_{document_id}',
skip_sid=sid,
)
```
`ydoc:document:leave` (line 711) — No auth check at all
```python
@sio.on('ydoc:document:leave')
async def yjs_document_leave(sid, data):
document_id = data['document_id']
user_id = data.get('user_id', sid)
# No auth check
await YDOC_MANAGER.remove_user(document_id=document_id, user_id=sid)
await sio.emit('ydoc:user:left',
{'document_id': document_id, 'user_id': user_id},
room=f'doc_{document_id}')
```
Root Cause: `always_connect=True` (line 78)
```python
sio = socketio.AsyncServer(
always_connect=True, # Never rejects connections
...
)
```
The `connect` handler (line 329) adds authenticated users to `SESSION_POOL` but never returns `False` or raises an exception for unauthenticated connections.
Exploitation
1. An unauthenticated attacker connects via Socket.IO (no token needed)
2. The attacker emits `ydoc:awareness:update` with:
• `document_id`: a known/guessed note UUID (format: `note:{uuid}`)
• `user_id`: spoofed to impersonate any user
• `update`: arbitrary awareness data (fake cursor positions, selections)
3. The fake awareness data is broadcast to all legitimate users in the document room
4. The attacker can also emit `ydoc:document:leave` with spoofed `user_id` to broadcast fake `ydoc:user:left` events
Impact
• UI disruption: Fake cursor positions and user presence in collaborative editing sessions
• User impersonation: Attacker can spoof any `user_id` in awareness updates
• Resource exhaustion: Unlimited unauthenticated WebSocket connections maintained by the server
Note: Other Ydoc handlers (`ydoc:document:join`, `ydoc:document:update`, `ydoc:document:state`) correctly check `SESSION_POOL` membership.
Suggested Fix
1. Set `always_connect=False` or reject unauthenticated connections in the `connect` handler
2. Add `SESSION_POOL` checks to `ydoc:awareness:update` and `ydoc:document:leave`
3. Add room membership verification before broadcasting to document rooms
---
> AI Disclosure (per Rule 11): AI (Claude) was used to assist with source code review, identifying potential vulnerability patterns, and drafting this report. The researcher directed the analysis, selected focus areas, and independently verified all findings against a running v0.8.12 Docker instance using real HTTP requests with two test accounts. The PoCs included are reproducible and were confirmed live before submission.
Related
Alias · CVE (1)
- CVE-2026-59715 Open WebUI is an extensible, feature-rich, and user-friendly self-hosted AI platform. vulnerability
Weakness · CWE (1)
- CWE-306 Missing Authentication for Critical Functionality weakness
References
- https://github.com/open-webui/open-webui/security/advisories/GHSA-gmfw-g93r-vg53 web
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-59715 advisory
- https://github.com/open-webui/open-webui/pull/25946 web
- https://github.com/open-webui/open-webui/commit/22f2fe1ffb66c993dad1e0b2b35514acaed2370e web
- https://github.com/open-webui/open-webui package
- https://github.com/open-webui/open-webui/releases/tag/v0.10.0 web