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17 block metadata/content endpoints in kernel/api/block.go (getRefText, getBlockBreadcrumb, checkBlockExist, and 14 others) have zero publish-access filtering, reachable by anonymous publish-mode readers

High
88250 published GHSA-4vpg-gwqq-w44c Aug 4, 2026

Package

gomod github.com/siyuan-note/siyuan/kernel (Go)

Affected versions

3.7.3

Patched versions

v3.7.4

Description

Same CWE-862 family, found via an automated bulk sweep of every
/api/block/* handler in kernel/api/block.go for the presence of any
access-check reference (IsReadOnlyRoleContext, checkBlockPublishAccess,
GetPublishAccess) anywhere in the function body. 17 of 28 candidate
endpoints have none. Cross-checked against the file's own sibling
functions (getBlockInfo, getBlockDOM, getRefIDs, etc.), which
correctly implement the check, confirming this is a real, uneven gap
rather than a deliberate design choice for the whole file.

Summary

17 handlers in kernel/api/block.go, all gated only by model.CheckAuth
with no admin-role requirement, return block content-derived text,
structural metadata, or existence information for any block ID supplied,
with no access check anywhere in the handler or, for the ones checked in
detail, the model functions they call. This is CWE-862 (Missing
Authorization), the same class as the companion advisories from this
review round, found in a different file via a systematic bulk check
rather than manual inspection of each function individually.

Details

Confirmed via automated extraction of every function body between
func NAME(c *gin.Context) { and the next such declaration, then
searching each for any of IsReadOnlyRoleContext,
checkBlockPublishAccess, GetPublishAccess, or PublishAccess. The
following contain none of these, at all:

Endpoint What it discloses
getRefText The block's actual reference-display text, derived from its content, for any ID (kernel/api/block.go:564)
getBlockBreadcrumb The block's breadcrumb/title path (:?)
getBlockDefIDsByRefText Which block IDs a given reference text resolves to
getRefIDsByFileAnnotationID Block IDs referencing a given PDF/file annotation
getBlockIndex / getBlocksIndexes A block's position/index within its document
getTreeStat Structural statistics for a document tree
getBlocksWordCount / getContentWordCount Word/character counts for arbitrary content
checkBlockExist / checkBlocksExist Existence oracle for any block ID
getUnfoldedParentID The nearest unfolded ancestor of a block
checkBlockFold Whether a block is currently folded
getBlockSiblingID A block's sibling in document order
getBlockRelevantIDs IDs of blocks related to a given block
getBlockTreeInfos Block tree metadata for a set of IDs
checkBlockRef Whether a block is referenced elsewhere

The clearest, most severe example, getRefText
(POST /api/block/getRefText, kernel/api/router.go:238):

func getRefText(c *gin.Context) {
    ...
    id := arg["id"].(string)
    if util.InvalidIDPattern(id, ret) {
        return
    }
    var refText string
    if notebook, ok := arg["notebook"].(string); ok && notebook != "" && model.IsEncryptedBox(notebook) {
        refText = model.GetBlockRefTextInBox(id, notebook)
    } else {
        refText = model.GetBlockRefText(id)
    }
    ...
    ret.Data = refText
}

model.GetBlockRefText(id) resolves the actual display text used
wherever this block is referenced, ordinarily derived from the block's
real content, for any id in the workspace, with no scoping.

For contrast, sibling functions in the same file correctly implement
the check, e.g. getRefIDs (kernel/api/router.go:235) and
getBlockInfo/getBlockDOM/getBlockKramdown all contain
if model.IsReadOnlyRoleContext(c) { ... } guards. This confirms the
17 above are an inconsistency within the file, not an intentional
decision that the whole file is exempt from this control.

Step-by-step reproduction

# id: a block inside a document that was never published, or is
# Disable=true in publish access
curl -s -X POST http://<target>:6806/api/block/getRefText \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{"id":"<private-block-id>"}'
# Returns the block's actual reference text with no session, no
# AccessAuthCode, no publish password.

curl -s -X POST http://<target>:6806/api/block/checkBlockExist \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{"id":"<guessed-block-id>"}'
# Confirms or denies existence of any guessed ID workspace-wide.

Repeat against any of the other 15 endpoints in the table above,
substituting their expected arguments, each returns data with no
access check.

Impact

Any published SiYuan workspace discloses block-level content-derived
text, structural metadata, and existence information for the entire
workspace, not just published notebooks, to any anonymous internet
visitor. getRefText in particular discloses real content text, not
just metadata, for any block ID. The existence-oracle endpoints
(checkBlockExist/checkBlockRef) combine with the companion
advisory's getIDsByHPath title-guessing primitive to let an attacker
efficiently probe for and confirm private content without ever needing
legitimate access.


## Affected products

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Ecosystem | **Go** |
| Package name | `github.com/siyuan-note/siyuan/kernel` |
| Affected versions | Present at current HEAD (commit `eef1056`/`1673b75`, reviewed 2026-08-03) |
| Patched versions | *(none yet, leave blank until a fix is released)* |

## Severity

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Vector string | `CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N` |
| Score | **7.5 (High)**. Network vector, low complexity, no privileges or user interaction required, high confidentiality impact via `getRefText`'s real content-text disclosure plus the combined structural/existence oracle from the other 16, no integrity/availability impact since all 17 are read-only. |

## Weaknesses (CWE)

- **CWE-862**: Missing Authorization (primary)
- **CWE-204**: Observable Response Discrepancy (contributing, via the existence-oracle endpoints)

## Notes for filing
- Same CWE-862 family as the two companion advisories from this review
  round (asset/attribute-view listing, and path/title resolution).
  Recommend the maintainers treat all three as one remediation pass:
  grep every `/api/*` handler for the literal presence of
  `IsReadOnlyRoleContext` and manually audit every one that lacks it,
  rather than fixing endpoint-by-endpoint, since the pattern has now
  recurred across three separate files.
- Suggested fix: add `if model.IsReadOnlyRoleContext(c) { ... }` guards
  matching the pattern already correctly used by this file's own
  `getBlockInfo`/`getBlockDOM`/`getRefIDs` functions.

Severity

High

CVSS overall score

This score calculates overall vulnerability severity from 0 to 10 and is based on the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS).
/ 10

CVSS v3 base metrics

Attack vector
Network
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS v3 base metrics

Attack vector: More severe the more the remote (logically and physically) an attacker can be in order to exploit the vulnerability.
Attack complexity: More severe for the least complex attacks.
Privileges required: More severe if no privileges are required.
User interaction: More severe when no user interaction is required.
Scope: More severe when a scope change occurs, e.g. one vulnerable component impacts resources in components beyond its security scope.
Confidentiality: More severe when loss of data confidentiality is highest, measuring the level of data access available to an unauthorized user.
Integrity: More severe when loss of data integrity is the highest, measuring the consequence of data modification possible by an unauthorized user.
Availability: More severe when the loss of impacted component availability is highest.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

CVE ID

No known CVE

Weaknesses

Observable Response Discrepancy

The product provides different responses to incoming requests in a way that reveals internal state information to an unauthorized actor outside of the intended control sphere. Learn more on MITRE.

Missing Authorization

The product does not perform an authorization check when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action. Learn more on MITRE.

Credits