Security: SSRF via user-controlled baseUrl in AI proxy endpoints
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- Python
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Description
Bug Description
The /api/ai/test and /api/ai/chat endpoints accept a baseUrl field from the request body and use it directly to construct outbound HTTP requests, with no validation of the destination host. This allows any caller to make the UltraRAG server issue requests to arbitrary internal or external URLs.
Location
ui/backend/app.py, /api/ai/test handler (~line 2360):
base_url = payload.get("baseUrl", "").rstrip("/")
test_url = f"{base_url}/models"
resp = requests.get(test_url, headers=headers, timeout=10)
ui/backend/app.py, /api/ai/chat handler (~line 2510):
base_url = settings.get("baseUrl", "").rstrip("/")
chat_url = f"{base_url}/chat/completions"
resp = requests.post(chat_url, headers=headers, ...)
Reproduction
curl -X POST http://<ultrarag-host>/api/ai/test \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"provider":"openai","baseUrl":"http://169.254.169.254/latest","apiKey":"x","model":"m"}'
The server will issue GET http://169.254.169.254/latest/models, reaching the cloud instance metadata service or any internal endpoint.
Impact
Attackers can use the UltraRAG server as an SSRF proxy to enumerate and access internal services, cloud metadata endpoints (AWS/GCP/Azure IMDS), and other hosts unreachable from the public internet.
Suggested Fix
Validate baseUrl against a strict allowlist of permitted AI provider domains, and reject private/loopback/link-local addresses after DNS resolution before making any outbound request:
from urllib.parse import urlparse
import ipaddress
ALLOWED_HOSTS = {"api.openai.com", "api.anthropic.com", ...}
parsed = urlparse(base_url)
if parsed.hostname not in ALLOWED_HOSTS:
return jsonify({"success": False, "error": "baseUrl not permitted"})
Found via automated codebase analysis. Happy to submit a PR if this is confirmed.
Contributor guide
First steps
- Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
- Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
- Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
- Open a pull request that references the issue number.
Research direction
Start in ui/backend/app.py at the /api/ai/test handler around line 2360 and the /api/ai/chat handler around line 2510, then trace how baseUrl reaches requests.get and requests.post. Define and apply the permitted-destination checks described in the issue so both endpoints reject unapproved or private destinations before making outbound requests.
Written by the indexing model from the issue text.
Assessment
- Tech stack
- python
- Domain
- api, backend, security
- Issue type
- Bug
- Difficulty
- 4/5
- Estimated time
- 3-5 days
- Activity status
- Quiet
- Clarity
- Clearly specified
- Newbie friendliness
- 48/100