GitHub Advisoryadvisory · PyPI
GHSA-hr43-rjmr-7wmm Open WebUI's Mass Assignment via Pydantic extra='allow' Allows Creating Folders in Other Users' Accounts
MEDIUM
Official page ↗
- Aliases
- CVE-2026-44550
- Ecosystem
- PyPI
- Packages
- open-webui
- Severity
- Moderate
- CVSS vector
- CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:L/A:N
- Weaknesses
- CWE-862
- Reviewed
- 2026-05-08
Affected packages
• PyPI open-webui: < 0.9.0 → fixed in 0.9.0
Description
Mass Assignment via Pydantic extra='allow' Allows Creating Folders in Other Users' Accounts
Affected Component
Folder creation endpoint and form model:
• `backend/open_webui/models/folders.py` (lines 72-77, `FolderForm` with `extra='allow'`)
• `backend/open_webui/models/folders.py` (lines 95-106, `insert_new_folder` dict construction)
• `backend/open_webui/routers/folders.py` (line 119, `create_folder` endpoint)
Affected Versions
Current main branch (commit `6fdd19bf1`) and likely all versions since `FolderForm` adopted `extra='allow'`.
Description
`FolderForm` uses `model_config = ConfigDict(extra='allow')`, which permits arbitrary fields to pass through Pydantic validation and be included in `model_dump(exclude_unset=True)`. In `insert_new_folder`, the server-assigned `user_id` is placed at the start of the dict and then overwritten by the spread of form data:
```python
models/folders.py:95-106
folder = FolderModel(
{
'id': id, # server
'user_id': user_id, # server — overwritten below
(form_data.model_dump(exclude_unset=True) or {}), # user-controlled (extra='allow')
'parent_id': parent_id,
'created_at': int(time.time()),
'updated_at': int(time.time()),
}
)
```
Because `FolderModel` declares `user_id: str` as a real field (not just a form extra), any attacker-supplied `user_id` in the POST body is accepted by the model and persisted on the `Folder` row.
Attack Scenario
1. Attacker discovers a victim's user ID. User UUIDs commonly leak via the user search endpoint (`GET /api/v1/users/search`, intentionally accessible to verified users for sharing UI), shared chat metadata, or channel member lists.
2. Attacker sends:
```
POST /api/v1/folders/
{
"name": "Important: Click here",
"user_id": "",
"meta": {"icon": "warning"},
"data": {...}
}
```
3. Pydantic accepts the extra `user_id` field (allowed by `extra='allow'`).
4. `insert_new_folder` spreads the form data over the server-set `'user_id': user_id`, overwriting it with the attacker's value.
5. The `Folder` row is persisted with `user_id = `.
6. The victim sees the attacker-planted folder in their UI on next load because `GET /api/v1/folders/` filters by the viewer's own `user_id`.
The attacker can repeat this to plant multiple folders, use crafted `name` values for phishing ("Click here to recover account" / "Security alert"), and abuse the `meta` and `data` fields to add visual elements that further mimic legitimate content.
Impact
• Unauthorized write into victim's folder tree
• Phishing surface: attacker-controlled `name`, `meta`, and `data` render in the victim's UI in a trusted context
• DoS / spam: attacker can flood a victim with arbitrary folders; victim must manually delete each one
• Attacker cannot read the folder back — all read paths filter by the caller's own `user_id` — so confidentiality is preserved, but integrity and trust are compromised
Preconditions
• Attacker must have an authenticated account with `features.folders` permission (default for all users)
• Attacker must know or guess the victim's user UUID (obtainable through various non-sensitive endpoints)
Related
Alias · CVE (1)
- CVE-2026-44550 Open WebUI is a self-hosted artificial intelligence platform designed to operate entirely offline. vulnerability
Weakness · CWE (1)
- CWE-862 Missing Authorization weakness