CVE-2026-54012

Open WebUI: Forged model meta.knowledge allows cross-user file read and deletion

Security boundary crossed: file confidentiality and integrity.

An authenticated attacker needs the workspace.models or workspace.models_import permission (or write access to an existing model) and a victim file ID. With those, for a file they do not own and cannot otherwise read, the attacker can:

• read the file's extracted text (up to 100000 characters per view_file call from file.data.content),
• read the file's content via GET /api/v1/files/{id}/content, and
• delete the file via DELETE /api/v1/files/{id}.

The application does not perform an authorization check before performing a sensitive operation. Typical impact: unauthorized access to restricted functionality or data.

CVE-2026-54012 has a CVSS score of 7.1 (High). The vector is network-reachable, low privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (0.9.6); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Kodem intelligence

Validate meta.knowledge on every model write path: create, update, and import. For entries with type == "file", require direct ownership, admin role, or has_access_to_file(file_id, 'read', user, db=db) before storing the entry. Validate the import payload before its surrounding try/except so a rejection surfaces as 403, not 500.

Do not let view_file() treat __model_knowledge__ as an authorization bypass; it should still enforce ownership/admin/has_access_to_file() per file ID. File deletion should require ownership, admin, or explicit write/delete access, not a read-derived model association.

1. What is CVE-2026-54012? CVE-2026-54012 is a high-severity missing authorization vulnerability in open-webui (pip), affecting versions <= 0.9.5. It is fixed in 0.9.6. The application does not perform an authorization check before performing a sensitive operation.
2. How severe is CVE-2026-54012? CVE-2026-54012 has a CVSS score of 7.1 (High). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
3. Which versions of open-webui are affected by CVE-2026-54012? open-webui (pip) versions <= 0.9.5 is affected.
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2026-54012? Yes. CVE-2026-54012 is fixed in 0.9.6. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is CVE-2026-54012 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2026-54012 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
6. What actually determines whether CVE-2026-54012 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
7. How do I fix CVE-2026-54012? Upgrade open-webui to 0.9.6 or later.