CVE-2024-7033 — MEDIUM (CVSS 6.5) AI Security Vulnerability

Q: Is CVE-2024-7033 actively exploited?

No confirmed active exploitation of CVE-2024-7033 has been reported, but organizations should still patch proactively.

Q: How to fix CVE-2024-7033?

1. Inventory all open-webui deployments and flag Windows instances on version 0.3.8 or earlier. 2. Enforce least-privilege admin access and MFA on all open-webui admin accounts. 3. No official patch available — block or rate-limit the /download_model endpoint at the reverse proxy or WAF. 4. Apply Windows file integrity monitoring (e.g., Sysmon, Wazuh) to detect unexpected writes outside the application directory. 5. Migrate production Windows deployments to Linux containers as a structural mitigation. 6. Monitor open-webui GitHub releases and apply the patch as soon as it ships. 7. Restrict open-webui to internal networks only — never expose admin interfaces to the public internet.

Q: What systems are affected by CVE-2024-7033?

This vulnerability affects the following AI/ML architecture patterns: local LLM serving, model management interfaces, AI development environments, enterprise AI sandboxes.

Q: What is the CVSS score for CVE-2024-7033?

CVE-2024-7033 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.5 (MEDIUM). The EPSS exploitation probability is 1.34%.

CISO Take

Any authenticated admin on an open-webui 0.3.8 Windows deployment can write arbitrary files via the model download endpoint, with a clear path to remote code execution. No upstream patch is listed — disable or firewall-restrict the download_model endpoint immediately and audit who holds admin access on open-webui instances. Migrate Windows-based deployments to Linux containers as a structural control.

Risk Assessment

CVSS 6.5 underrepresents operational risk for teams running open-webui on Windows. While PR:H limits exposure to authenticated admins, AI labs frequently deploy open-webui with loose access controls and shared credentials. Path traversal payloads are trivial to craft, and overwriting Windows system files or startup scripts can escalate to full host compromise. EPSS of 1.16% is low and it is not in CISA KEV, but the zero-patch status and RCE ceiling make this a priority for Windows-hosting environments.

Affected Systems

Package	Ecosystem	Vulnerable Range	Patched
open-webui	pip	<= 0.3.8	No patch
135.3K Pushed 8d ago 58% patched ~9d to patch Full package profile →

Do you use open-webui? You're affected.

Severity & Risk

CVSS 3.1

6.5 / 10

EPSS

1.3%

chance of exploitation in 30 days

Higher than 80% of all CVEs

Source: EPSS v3 — FIRST.org

Exploitation Status

Exploit Available

Exploitation: MEDIUM

Sophistication

Trivial

Exploitation Confidence

medium

○ CISA SSVC: Public PoC

Composite signal derived from CISA KEV, CISA SSVC, EPSS, trickest/cve, and Nuclei templates.

Attack Surface

AV Network

AC Low

PR High

UI None

S Unchanged

C None

I High

A High

Recommended Action

7 steps

Inventory all open-webui deployments and flag Windows instances on version 0.3.8 or earlier.
Enforce least-privilege admin access and MFA on all open-webui admin accounts.
No official patch available — block or rate-limit the /download_model endpoint at the reverse proxy or WAF.
Apply Windows file integrity monitoring (e.g., Sysmon, Wazuh) to detect unexpected writes outside the application directory.
Migrate production Windows deployments to Linux containers as a structural mitigation.
Monitor open-webui GitHub releases and apply the patch as soon as it ships.
Restrict open-webui to internal networks only — never expose admin interfaces to the public internet.

CISA SSVC Assessment

Decision Track*

Exploitation poc

Automatable No

Technical Impact partial

Source: CISA Vulnrichment (SSVC v2.0). Decision based on the CISA Coordinator decision tree.

Classification

Code Execution DoS Framework Inference AML.T0037 - Data from Local System AML.T0049 - Exploit Public-Facing Application AML.T0072 - Reverse Shell

Compliance Impact

This CVE is relevant to:

EU AI Act

Article 15 - Accuracy, robustness and cybersecurity

ISO 42001

A.6.2.6 - AI system security

NIST AI RMF

MANAGE 2.2 - Mechanisms to sustain oversight of AI risk

OWASP LLM Top 10

LLM05 - Supply Chain Vulnerabilities

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2024-7033?

Any authenticated admin on an open-webui 0.3.8 Windows deployment can write arbitrary files via the model download endpoint, with a clear path to remote code execution. No upstream patch is listed — disable or firewall-restrict the download_model endpoint immediately and audit who holds admin access on open-webui instances. Migrate Windows-based deployments to Linux containers as a structural control.

Is CVE-2024-7033 actively exploited?

No confirmed active exploitation of CVE-2024-7033 has been reported, but organizations should still patch proactively.

How to fix CVE-2024-7033?

1. Inventory all open-webui deployments and flag Windows instances on version 0.3.8 or earlier. 2. Enforce least-privilege admin access and MFA on all open-webui admin accounts. 3. No official patch available — block or rate-limit the /download_model endpoint at the reverse proxy or WAF. 4. Apply Windows file integrity monitoring (e.g., Sysmon, Wazuh) to detect unexpected writes outside the application directory. 5. Migrate production Windows deployments to Linux containers as a structural mitigation. 6. Monitor open-webui GitHub releases and apply the patch as soon as it ships. 7. Restrict open-webui to internal networks only — never expose admin interfaces to the public internet.

What systems are affected by CVE-2024-7033?

This vulnerability affects the following AI/ML architecture patterns: local LLM serving, model management interfaces, AI development environments, enterprise AI sandboxes.

What is the CVSS score for CVE-2024-7033?

CVE-2024-7033 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.5 (MEDIUM). The EPSS exploitation probability is 1.34%.

Technical Details

NVD Description

In version 0.3.8 of open-webui/open-webui, an arbitrary file write vulnerability exists in the download_model endpoint. When deployed on Windows, the application improperly handles file paths, allowing an attacker to manipulate the file path to write files to arbitrary locations on the server's filesystem. This can result in overwriting critical system or application files, causing denial of service, or potentially achieving remote code execution (RCE). RCE can allow an attacker to execute malicious code with the privileges of the user running the application, leading to a full system compromise.

Exploitation Scenario

An attacker obtains admin credentials to an open-webui instance running on a Windows server — via phishing, credential stuffing, or a shared dev environment. They call the download_model API endpoint with a crafted model path containing Windows path traversal sequences (e.g., ..\..\Windows\System32\) targeting a DLL loaded by a high-privilege service, or dropping a malicious script in a Windows startup folder. On next service restart or user login, the payload executes under the open-webui service account — potentially SYSTEM — granting persistent remote access to the host and full lateral movement capability across the organization's AI infrastructure.