CVE-2026-81030: Mage AI through 0.9.79 Arbitrary File Read via Unvalidated Path in browser_items Endpoint
Mage AI does not confine the paths accepted by its browser-items API to the project directory. BrowserItemResource in mageai/api/resources/BrowserItemResource.py passes a caller-supplied path to the filesystem read and write helpers without calling the containment helper that the sibling FileContentResource and FileResource classes both use, so the resource contains no such call while those two contain several. A user holding the Viewer role, which grants read access within the project and nothing outside it, can therefore read any file the server process can read by supplying an absolute path. The permission model that would otherwise separate roles is not consulted for this route in the default configuration, because the setting that enables it defaults to false. Callers holding the Editor role additionally write through the same unconfined path, though that role is already able to execute code by design, so the boundary crossed by this flaw is the read available to the Viewer role.
Affected Software
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
What level of access does an attacker need?
An authenticated user with the Viewer role can exploit the read issue by supplying an absolute path to the browser-items API. Viewer access is intended to permit reads only within the project.
Are default deployments affected?
Yes. In the default configuration, the permission model is not consulted for this route because the setting that enables it defaults to false.
What data can be exposed?
A Viewer can read any file that the Mage AI server process itself has permission to read, rather than being limited to files in the project directory.
Does this also allow file modification?
Users with the Editor role can write through the same unconfined path. However, Editors are already able to execute code by design, so the primary privilege-boundary impact is the unauthorized read capability available to Viewers.