dbcve.org
Vertex Gemini ApiApplication · Google

CVE-2024-12236

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-12-10
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
57/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
A security issue exists in Vertex Gemini API for customers using VPC-SC. By utilizing a custom crafted file URI for image input, data exfiltration is possible due to requests being routed outside the VPC-SC security perimeter, circumventing the intended security restrictions of VPC-SC. No further fix actions are needed. Google Cloud Platform implemented a fix to return an error message when a media file URL is specified in the fileUri parameter and VPC Service Controls is enabled. Other use cases are unaffected.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

A vulnerability in Vertex Gemini API allows data exfiltration for VPC-SC users by using custom file URIs for image inputs, routing requests outside the VPC Service Controls security perimeter and bypassing intended restrictions. Google has implemented a fix that returns an error when a media file URL is specified in the fileUri parameter while VPC Service Controls is enabled.

MitigationNo further action required; Google has already implemented the fix. Organizations using VPC-SC with Vertex Gemini should verify that the error messages are properly returned when media file URLs are used.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Vertex Gemini ApiApplication
Affected:all versions

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Confirm Vertex Gemini API usage
    Identify if your project or application integrates with Google Vertex Gemini API for AI model interactions. Review API call logs or code references to vertex.googleapis.com or generationai.googleapis.com endpoints.
    Affected if Your environment uses Vertex Gemini API for model inference.
  2. Verify VPC Service Controls is enabled
    Check your Google Cloud project settings to confirm VPC Service Controls are enabled for Vertex AI/Vertex Gemini. This can be done via the Google Cloud Console under Security > VPC Service Controls, or using gcloud compute networks peerings list --flatten="peerings[]" if VPC-SC is configured.
    Affected if VPC Service Controls are enabled for the project using Vertex Gemini API.
  3. Test fileUri parameter rejection with VPC-SC
    Attempt to make a Vertex Gemini API request using the fileUri parameter to reference a media file (such as an image for multimodal input) while VPC Service Controls is enabled. This simulates the original attack vector.
    Affected if The API accepts the fileUri and processes the request without returning an error, indicating the vulnerability may still be present.
  4. Verify error response for media file URLs
    Confirm that when a media file URL is specified in the fileUri parameter with VPC-SC enabled, the API returns an error response. Check for error codes indicating the request was blocked due to VPC Service Controls policy violation.
    Affected if No error is returned and the request succeeds - the fix is not functioning properly.

You are affected if your environment uses Vertex Gemini API with VPC Service Controls enabled AND the API does NOT return an error when a fileUri parameter is specified, indicating the vulnerability fix is not functioning.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

No further action required; Google has already implemented the fix. Organizations using VPC-SC with Vertex Gemini should verify that the error messages are properly returned when media file URLs are used.

Recommended fix High confidence
  1. No further fix actions are required. Google Cloud Platform has already implemented a fix that returns an error message when a media file URL is specified in the fileUri parameter and VPC Service Controls is enabled.

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Vertex Gemini Api Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
5.0 hours of engineering $880
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2024-12236 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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