CVE-2026-44565: Open WebUI Arbitrary File Write, Delete via Path Traversal

** CONFIDENTIAL **

Vulnerability Disclosure Analysis Documentation

Vulnerability Details

1. Discoverer: Taylor Pennington of KoreLogic, Inc.
2. Date Submitted: June 11, 2024
3. Title: Open WebUI Arbitrary File Write, Delete via Path Traversal
4. High-level Summary: Attacker controlled files can be uploaded to arbitrary locations on the web server’s filesystem by abusing a path traversal vulnerability. After the file is written, it is deleted.
5. Affected Vendor: Open WebUI
6. Affected Product(s): Open WebUI (Formerly Ollama WebUI)
7. Affected Version(s): 0.1.105
8. Platform/OS: Debian GNU/Linux 12 (bookworm)
9. Vector: HTTP web interface
10. CWE: 22 Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory (‘Path Traversal’)
11. Technical Analysis:

When attaching files to a prompt by clicking the plus sign (+) on the left of the message input box when using the Open WebUI HTTP interface, the file is uploaded to a static upload directory. If the file is an audio file it will be sent to a second API that will attempt to transcribe it.

The name of the file is derived from the original HTTP upload request and is not validated or sanitized. This allows for users to upload files with names containing dot-segments in the file path and traverse out of the intended uploads directory. Effectively, users can upload files anywhere on the filesystem the user running the web server has permission.