# CVE-2026-69098: kotaemon insecure deserialization in check_connection endpoint

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-69098-kotaemon-insecure-deserialization-in-check-connection-endpoint  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-08-04. Updated: 2026-09-25  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-69098 · Severity: critical · CVSS 9.8 · Published 2026-08-04

kotaemon is a platform for building AI applications that integrates language models and retrieval systems. An unauthenticated attacker can send specially crafted requests to the /check_connection endpoint to execute arbitrary operating system commands on the server with the privileges of the kotaemon application process. No login credentials or API keys are required, and command output is returned directly to the attacker in the HTTP response.

Technologies: [Cinnamon Kotaemon](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/kotaemon). Vendors: [Cinnamon](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/cinnamon).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-69098 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-69098 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-69098?** Critical severity, with a CVSS score of 9.8, published 4 August 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** Cinnamon Kotaemon through 0.12.0.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-69098?** No fixed version is recorded yet. Check the vendor's advisory in the references below. If you run it, Junglewise drafts a mitigation that fits your setup and applies it once you approve, with senior security engineers behind it.

**How is CVE-2026-69098 attacked?** It is attacked over the network, in a web application.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-69098?** Check whether you run Cinnamon Kotaemon at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

## Technical details

The vulnerability is an insecure deserialization flaw (CWE-502) in the /check_connection endpoint of kotaemon's Gradio-based API. The endpoint accepts user-supplied YAML/JSON input, loads it without validation, and passes it to a deserialize() function with safe=False that instantiates arbitrary Python classes via importlib.import_module() and getattr(). An attacker can override the __type__ field with subprocess.check_output and provide shell command arguments to achieve remote code execution. The endpoint is publicly accessible with no server-side authentication checks despite the application having a UI-layer login mechanism. Attack preconditions are minimal: only network reachability to the Gradio endpoint is required, and no user interaction is needed.

## Affected products

- Cinnamon kotaemon through 0.12.0

## Timeline

- 2026-08-04: disclosed

## References

- [https://github.com/Cinnamon/kotaemon/issues/844](https://github.com/Cinnamon/kotaemon/issues/844)
- [https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/kotaemon-unauthenticated-remote-code-execution-via-insecure-deserialization](https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/kotaemon-unauthenticated-remote-code-execution-via-insecure-deserialization)

## Related threats

- [Cinnamon Kotaemon authorization bypass in chat handlers](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-86867-cinnamon-s-kotaemon-all-versions-up-to-and-including-v0-12-0)
- [Plaintext password storage in Kotaemon 0.11.0 in the client's localStorage.](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2025-56527-plaintext-password-storage-in-kotaemon-0-11-0-in-the-client-s)
- [Cross site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Kotaemon 0.11.0 allowing attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted PDF.](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2025-56526-cross-site-scripting-xss-vulnerability-in-kotaemon-0-11-0)