CVE-2026-59715: Open WebUI Unauthenticated WebSocket Access To Collaborative Vulnerability

{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-gmfw-g93r-vg53",
  "modified" : "2026-07-24T16:59:44Z",
  "published" : "2026-07-24T16:59:44Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-59715" ],
  "summary" : "Open WebUI: Unauthenticated WebSocket Access to Collaborative Document Handlers (ydoc:awareness:update, ydoc:document:leave)",
  "details" : "## Summary\n\nThe 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.\n\n## Vulnerable Code\n\n### `ydoc:awareness:update` (line 741) — No auth check at all\n```python\n@sio.on('ydoc:awareness:update')\nasync def yjs_awareness_update(sid, data):\n    document_id = data['document_id']\n    user_id = data.get('user_id', sid)\n    update = data['update']\n    # No SESSION_POOL check, no room membership check\n    await sio.emit(\n        'ydoc:awareness:update',\n        {'document_id': document_id, 'user_id': user_id, 'update': update},\n        room=f'doc_{document_id}',\n        skip_sid=sid,\n    )\n```\n\n### `ydoc:document:leave` (line 711) — No auth check at all\n```python\n@sio.on('ydoc:document:leave')\nasync def yjs_document_leave(sid, data):\n    document_id = data['document_id']\n    user_id = data.get('user_id', sid)\n    # No auth check\n    await YDOC_MANAGER.remove_user(document_id=document_id, user_id=sid)\n    await sio.emit('ydoc:user:left',\n        {'document_id': document_id, 'user_id': user_id},\n        room=f'doc_{document_id}')\n```\n\n### Root Cause: `always_connect=True` (line 78)\n```python\nsio = socketio.AsyncServer(\n    always_connect=True,   # Never rejects connections\n    ...\n)\n```\n\nThe `connect` handler (line 329) adds authenticated users to `SESSION_POOL` but never returns `False` or raises an exception for unauthenticated connections.\n\n## Exploitation\n\n1. An unauthenticated attacker connects via Socket.IO (no token needed)\n2. The attacker emits `ydoc:awareness:update` with:\n   - `document_id`: a known/guessed note UUID (format: `note:{uuid}`)\n   - `user_id`: spoofed to impersonate any user\n   - `update`: arbitrary awareness data (fake cursor positions, selections)\n3. The fake awareness data is broadcast to all legitimate users in the document room\n4. The attacker can also emit `ydoc:document:leave` with spoofed `user_id` to broadcast fake `ydoc:user:left` events\n\n## Impact\n\n- **UI disruption**: Fake cursor positions and user presence in collaborative editing sessions\n- **User impersonation**: Attacker can spoof any `user_id` in awareness updates\n- **Resource exhaustion**: Unlimited unauthenticated WebSocket connections maintained by the server\n\nNote: Other Ydoc handlers (`ydoc:document:join`, `ydoc:document:update`, `ydoc:document:state`) correctly check `SESSION_POOL` membership.\n\n## Suggested Fix\n\n1. Set `always_connect=False` or reject unauthenticated connections in the `connect` handler\n2. Add `SESSION_POOL` checks to `ydoc:awareness:update` and `ydoc:document:leave`\n3. Add room membership verification before broadcasting to document rooms\n\n---\n\n> **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.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "open-webui"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0.6.16"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "0.10.0"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/open-webui/open-webui/security/advisories/GHSA-gmfw-g93r-vg53"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-59715"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/open-webui/open-webui/pull/25946"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/open-webui/open-webui/commit/22f2fe1ffb66c993dad1e0b2b35514acaed2370e"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/open-webui/open-webui"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/open-webui/open-webui/releases/tag/v0.10.0"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-306" ],
    "severity" : "LOW",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-07-24T16:59:44Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-07-09T17:17:04Z"
  }
}