Disclosed weakness · no CVE recorded

EMBRACE: Codex desktop local preview can read outside the project

OpenAI · Codex desktop embedded browser

First documented disclosure · Review checkpoint

Summary

A local HTML preview can read files outside its project.

Severity and exploitation evidence

Unknown · numeric CVSS score not recorded. Severity source.

Exploitation not established: Controlled researcher demonstration; malicious exploitation is not established.

Exploitation evidence source

Technical severity is not a measure of observed attacks or of risk to your deployment. Attempts, demonstrations, and successful compromise retain the qualifications in the source.

How the weakness works

The researcher found no project-scope file-read fence in the top document.

Conditions required

A user opens an attacker-controlled local project or HTML preview with the process able to read the targeted files.

Potential impact

Disclosure of readable local credentials and documents; research used a localhost collection sink.

Affected versions and configurations

Researcher-tested desktop build; version range not published.

Fix and mitigation status

No fix verified; Forever reported it remained open October 29.

Practical next steps

Avoid untrusted local previews; use an isolated account or environment without production credentials and install vendor fixes when available.

Operating lesson

Previewing a local file should not authorize access to unrelated files.

Evidence and limits

Private report July 27, public October 29. No named affected version, CVE, confirmed victim or malicious remote exfiltration was established; OS permissions still limit access.

Related incident and research records

Related records can include laboratory demonstrations; a relationship does not itself establish exploitation.

Sources