CVE-2024-53450 identifies a critical security vulnerability in RAGFlow version 0.13.0, specifically within the document-hooks.ts file. The root cause is improper access control, which allows unauthorized users to bypass authentication and access documents belonging to other users. This vulnerability is categorized under CWE-125, which typically involves out-of-bounds read errors, suggesting that the application may be reading memory or data it should not have access to, leading to unauthorized data exposure. The CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.5 reflects a high severity level, with an attack vector that is network-based (AV:N), requiring no privileges (PR:N) and no user interaction (UI:N). The scope is unchanged (S:U), and the impact is high on confidentiality (C:H), but there is no impact on integrity (I:N) or availability (A:N). This means attackers can remotely access sensitive documents without authentication, potentially leading to significant data breaches. Although no exploits are currently known in the wild and no patches have been released, the vulnerability represents a serious risk for organizations using RAGFlow for document management or processing. The lack of patches necessitates immediate attention to alternative mitigation strategies until an official fix is available.

The primary impact of CVE-2024-53450 is unauthorized disclosure of sensitive documents, compromising confidentiality. Organizations relying on RAGFlow 0.13.0 for document management or processing are at risk of data breaches, which can lead to loss of intellectual property, exposure of personal or confidential information, regulatory non-compliance, and reputational damage. Since the vulnerability does not affect integrity or availability, attackers cannot modify or disrupt documents but can read sensitive content without authorization. The ease of exploitation—requiring no privileges or user interaction and accessible remotely—makes this vulnerability particularly dangerous. This could facilitate espionage, insider threats, or data theft by external attackers. The absence of known exploits in the wild reduces immediate risk but does not diminish the potential for future attacks once exploit code becomes available. Organizations in sectors with high data sensitivity, such as finance, healthcare, legal, and government, face heightened risks.

Until an official patch is released, organizations should implement strict network-level access controls to restrict access to RAGFlow instances only to trusted users and internal networks. Employing Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) with custom rules to detect and block suspicious requests targeting document access endpoints can help mitigate exploitation attempts. Conduct thorough audits of user permissions and logs to detect any unauthorized access attempts. If feasible, disable or isolate the document-hooks.ts functionality or related document access features temporarily to prevent exploitation. Employ encryption for stored documents and enforce strong authentication mechanisms on the application layer to reduce risk. Monitor security advisories from RAGFlow developers for patches or updates and apply them promptly once available. Additionally, consider implementing anomaly detection systems to identify unusual document access patterns. Regularly educate users and administrators about this vulnerability and the importance of reporting suspicious activity.