### Summary Excel file attachments are previewed in an unsafe way. A crafted XLSX file payload can be used to cause the [sheetjs](https://git.sheetjs.com/sheetjs/sheetjs) function...
Full CISO analysis pending enrichment.
Affected Systems
| Package | Ecosystem | Vulnerable Range | Patched |
|---|---|---|---|
| open-webui | pip | <= 0.7.2 | 0.8.0 |
Do you use open-webui? You're affected.
Severity & Risk
Attack Surface
Recommended Action
Patch available
Update open-webui to version 0.8.0
Compliance Impact
Compliance analysis pending. Sign in for full compliance mapping when available.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2026-44549?
Open WebUI has stored XSS in Excel file preview
Is CVE-2026-44549 actively exploited?
No confirmed active exploitation of CVE-2026-44549 has been reported, but organizations should still patch proactively.
How to fix CVE-2026-44549?
Update to patched version: open-webui 0.8.0.
What is the CVSS score for CVE-2026-44549?
CVE-2026-44549 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.3 (HIGH).
Technical Details
NVD Description
### Summary Excel file attachments are previewed in an unsafe way. A crafted XLSX file payload can be used to cause the [sheetjs](https://git.sheetjs.com/sheetjs/sheetjs) function [sheet_to_html](https://git.sheetjs.com/sheetjs/sheetjs/src/commit/66cf8d2117d271f89e4f47b5fed35a3e1ea93f67/bits/79_html.js#L127) to embed an XSS payload into the generated HTML. This is subsequently added to the DOM unsanitized via [`@html`](https://svelte.dev/docs/svelte/@html) causing the payload to trigger. ### Details The function used to convert XLSX documents to HTML for preview does not perform any input validation or sanitisation for the generated HTML https://github.com/open-webui/open-webui/blob/a7271532f8a38da46785afcaa7e65f9a45e7d753/src/lib/components/common/FileItemModal.svelte#L120-L133 XLSX attachments are processed by this function, converted to HTML with `XLSX.utils.sheet_to_html` before ultimately being assigned to the variable `excelHtml`. Later there is logic that causes this to be assigned directly to the DOM when the preview tab is selected. https://github.com/open-webui/open-webui/blob/a7271532f8a38da46785afcaa7e65f9a45e7d753/src/lib/components/common/FileItemModal.svelte#L358-L400 ### PoC A python script to generate a payload file is as follows: ```python import xlsxwriter payload = '<img src=x onerror="alert(\'XSS Triggered by XLSX file\')">' workbook = xlsxwriter.Workbook('xss_payload.xlsx') worksheet = workbook.add_worksheet() payload_format = workbook.add_format() worksheet.write_rich_string('A1', 'This cell contains a hidden payload: ', payload_format, payload ) worksheet.write('A2', 'This is a safe cell.') worksheet.write('B1', 'Column B') workbook.close() ``` Upload the generated file as an attachment to a chat, open the file modal, and click preview. Observe the XSS triggers. <img width="2444" height="1386" alt="image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/8400efb0-ea6f-4878-abdb-4c2fe529241f" /> This same process can be triggered in shared chats, allowing the payload to be distributed to victims. <img width="2386" height="1646" alt="image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/d0eda49c-8fcf-4fc4-bbb0-c8951b0369c3" /> ### Impact Any user can create a weaponised chat that can be shared and subsequently used to target other users. Low privilege users are at risk of having their session taken over by a payload that reads their token from local storage and exfiltrates it to an attacker controlled server. Admins are at risk of exposing the server to RCE via same chain described in GHSA-w7xj-8fx7-wfch. ### Caveats The file attachment in the shared chat must be opened and previewed to trigger the vulnerability. ### Recommendation Sanitise the generated HTML with DOMPurify before assigning it to the DOM.
Weaknesses (CWE)
CVSS Vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N References
Timeline
Related Vulnerabilities
CVE-2026-44551 9.1 Analysis pending
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