---
id: "CVE-2024-11042"
kind: "vulnerability"
aliases: ["CVE-2024-11042", "GHSA-227r-w5j2-6243"]
title: "InvokeAI Arbitrary File Deletion vulnerability"
severity: "critical"
cvss: 9.1
epss: 0.01564
exploited: false
status: "open"
category: "ai-tooling"
products: [{"name": "InvokeAI", "fixed": ["5.3.0rc1"], "affected": "< 5.3.0rc1", "ecosystem": "pypi"}]
ecosystems: ["pypi"]
tags: ["ai-image-generation", "ai-tooling", "cwe-20", "cwe-22", "cwe-73", "invokeai", "python", "self-hosted"]
not_affected_if: ["localhost-only-binding", "patched-version"]
published_at: "2025-03-20T10:15:23+00:00"
first_seen_at: "2026-10-27T16:51:11+00:00"
updated_at: "2026-10-27T17:03:04+00:00"
sources: [{"source": "ghsa", "url": "https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-227r-w5j2-6243", "first_seen_at": "2026-10-27T16:51:11+00:00"}, {"source": "nvd", "url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-11042", "first_seen_at": "2026-10-27T17:03:04+00:00"}]
---

# InvokeAI Arbitrary File Deletion vulnerability

InvokeAI, an open-source image generation tool, exposes a web API endpoint (POST /api/v1/images/delete) that does not restrict which file paths it removes. An unauthenticated attacker can delete arbitrary files on the server, such as SSH keys, SQLite databases and configuration files.

_Summary, check and fix written by a model from the sources; labelled as such._

## Affected

- pypi:InvokeAI affected < 5.3.0rc1 fixed 5.3.0rc1

## How to check

- Check the installed version with `pip show InvokeAI` and confirm whether it is below `5.3.0rc1`
- Confirm the InvokeAI web API is reachable from outside the machine

## Fix

- Upgrade the `InvokeAI` PyPI package to `5.3.0rc1` or later

## Timeline

- 2026-10-27T16:51:11+00:00 ghsa https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-227r-w5j2-6243
- 2026-10-27T17:03:04+00:00 nvd https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-11042

## From the sources

In invoke-ai/invokeai version v5.0.2, the web API `POST /api/v1/images/delete` is vulnerable to Arbitrary File Deletion. This vulnerability allows unauthorized attackers to delete arbitrary files on the server, potentially including critical or sensitive system files such as SSH keys, SQLite databases, and configuration files. This can impact the integrity and availability of applications relying on these files.

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_Free to read at a human pace. An API with keys and an MCP server are in preparation; early access: hello@infrastack.ai_