External risk intelligence

Cohere North AI Arbitrary File Upload Leading to Code Execution

CVE advisorySeverity: CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8)

CVE-2025-61165

The vulnerability exists in an API endpoint (/v1/my_drive/batch_upload) designed for file processing. Web APIs and file upload components in application suites are frequently deployed as internet-facing services to facilitate remote user access, making them commonly reachable from the public internet.

Unrestricted File Upload

Halo Surface Signal: 4 out of 5 — likely to be public-facing.

External exposure likelihood

Horizon Alert

Summary of the vulnerability and why it matters

This advisory details a critical vulnerability affecting a component within cohere North AI, specifically related to file uploading. The issue, if exploited, could allow unauthorized code execution. The main concern is to confirm if this technology is in use and if it is exposed externally, as the vulnerability's nature and potential impact necessitate careful assessment of its relevance to our environment.

Code can be run by uploading bad files.
Critical flaw, impacts systems processing uploads.
Confirm use and external exposure.

Attack Path

How an attacker could exploit the issue

An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by sending a specially crafted file to the batch upload API. This API, which is exposed externally, allows for file uploads and, if improperly handled, can lead to the execution of arbitrary code on the server.

Attacker needs network access.
Upload a crafted file to API.
Arbitrary code execution.

Live Threat

Current exploitation, exposure, and threat context

A critical vulnerability in the file upload component of cohere North AI could allow unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary code by uploading a specially crafted file. This could impact the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected system.

Arbitrary code execution.
Uploading a crafted file via an API.
System compromise and data loss.

Operational Fix

Recommended remediation, mitigation, and detection steps

This critical vulnerability in a file upload component of Cohere North AI may require coordination between application owners responsible for the AI service, infrastructure teams managing its deployment, and potentially vendor management if the component is a third-party integration. The immediate first step is to identify all instances of the affected technology, determine their exposure and business criticality, and locate the accountable system owners. Planning remediation or mitigation efforts should then be prioritized based on this risk assessment.

Assign ownership to application or platform teams.
Verify external reachability and business criticality.
Plan risk-based remediation or mitigation.

Supplementary metadata

CVSS vector

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Frequently asked questions

What is cohere North AI?

Cohere North AI is a software platform that includes components for data management and processing, specifically featuring functions like batch file uploads through its API. It is designed to assist users with file-driven workflows within an AI-integrated environment, often serving as a backend service for handling user-submitted documents or data packets.

What does CWE-434 mean for CVE-2025-61165?

CWE-434 refers to an 'Unrestricted Upload of File with Dangerous Type' weakness. In the context of CVE-2025-61165, this means the software fails to properly check or limit the types of files users can upload to the system. Because these safeguards are missing, an attacker can submit a malicious file that the server mistakenly processes as legitimate code, leading to unauthorized command execution.

How is this vulnerability triggered?

The vulnerability is triggered when an attacker interacts with the /v1/my_drive/batch_upload API endpoint. By sending a specially crafted file to this path, an attacker can force the system to execute the file's contents. Notably, simply viewing or browsing the service does not trigger the bug; the system must specifically receive and process an uploaded file that has been designed to exploit this upload flaw.

Do I need to worry if my instance is internal?

Halo Surface Signal indicates that while these API endpoints are often placed on the public internet to support remote users, the core risk depends on network reachability. If your Cohere North AI instance is strictly restricted to internal networks, it is less reachable to external actors compared to internet-facing deployments. You should verify your specific network architecture to understand how accessible this API is to unauthorized parties.

When should I take action for this CVE?

You should prioritize this immediately by identifying every server running Cohere North AI. Coordinate with the teams who own these applications to check if they use the batch upload component. Once you have an inventory, assess the business criticality of those systems and confirm their exposure. Use this information to plan and track remediation efforts with your infrastructure and security teams to protect against potential system compromise.

References

Written by Nicholas Merritt

Nicholas Merritt is VP of Security Solutions at Halo Security. With more than 25 years across application security, vulnerability prioritization, and offensive security, he helps teams translate threat data into practical exposure validation and remediation focus. He authors Halo Threat Intelligence CVE advisories using Halo Surface Signal and H/A/L/O context to prioritize internet-facing risk.