CVE-2025-46338: Audiobookshelf Vulnerable to Cross-Site-Scripting Reflected via POST Request in /api/upload
Noroxi assessment
Priority: Monitor (action score 27/100)
- The sources we track (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei, GitHub) show no public exploit code or exploitation in the wild.
- Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 0.37% (FIRST EPSS).
- Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it. No account or password is required. No user action is required. No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
- According to CISA the attack is automatable: targets can be found by mass scanning.
- Fixed version: advplyr audiobookshelf 2.21.0.
Low priority for now. Upgrade to advplyr audiobookshelf 2.21.0 or later.
Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it
Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · FIRST EPSS
Audiobookshelf is a self-hosted audiobook and podcast server. Prior to version 2.21.0, an improper input handling vulnerability in the `/api/upload` endpoint allows an attacker to perform a reflected cross-site scripting (XSS) attack by submitting malicious payloads in the `libraryId` field. The unsanitized input is reflected in the server’s error message, enabling arbitrary JavaScript execution in a victim's browser. This issue has been patched in version 2.21.0.
- Published
- Apr 29, 2025
- Updated
- Jun 17, 2026
- EPSS
- 0.3% · 30th percentile
- CWE
- CWE-79
Report tools
Action score
27
Monitor
Low priority for now.
- CVSS
- 27 / 40 · 6.9 / 10
- CISA KEV
- 0 / 30 · Not listed
- EPSS
- 0 / 30 · 0.3%
CISA SSVC decision
- Exploitation
- proof of concept
- Automatable
- yes
- Technical impact
- partial
Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.
CNA vs NVD score
- NVD
- —
- CNA · GitHub_M
- 6.9
- NVD has not scored this yet; the score shown is the CNA’s.
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:N/SC:L/SI:L/SA:N
The score given by the assigning authority versus NVD’s independent score. A gap means the severity is contested.
Get told when this record changes
- Not in KEV: no record of exploitation in the wild
- No public exploit code on record
- A fix has been released
If any of these changes, we'll tell you in the daily email digest.
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Noroxi analysis
What does it mean in your environment?
The assessment above is generated automatically from the record's data; it doesn't know your environment. Our team verifies on your systems whether this vulnerability is actually exploitable and which mitigation is enough.
We use this product, ask for helpAffected systems
Is your version affected?
Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.
| Vendor | Product | CPE |
|---|---|---|
| audiobookshelf | audiobookshelf | cpe:2.3:a:audiobookshelf:audiobookshelf |
Limit the impact of XSS
This is a cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability. A well-configured Content-Security-Policy doesn't fix it, but greatly reduces its impact. Check your site's CSP and other security headers for free.
Check security headersAffected versions
NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.
- audiobookshelf audiobookshelfbefore 2.21.0
Versions reported by the vendor
Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (GitHub_M). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.
advplyr audiobookshelf
- < 2.21.0affected
Same product
audiobookshelf: all recordsOther highest-scoring records for the same primary product.
- CVE-2025-25205Remote Authentication-Bypass can lead to server crash or limited information disclosure due to faulty pattern matching60This week
- CVE-2025-57800Audiobookshelf vulnerable to OIDC token exfiltration and account takeover35Monitor
- CVE-2023-51697Audiobookshelf vulnerable to Blind SSRF in `podcastUtils.js`30Monitor
Published before and after this one in the same product
- ← EarlierCVE-2024-35236May 27, 2024 · Audiobookshelf Cross-Site-Scripting vulnerability via crafted ebooks19Monitor
- ← EarlierCVE-2024-43797Sep 2, 2024 · Path Traversal in audiobookshelf17Monitor
- Later →CVE-2026-27973Feb 25, 2026 · Audiobookshelf has Stored XSS in ItemSearchCard.vue via Audiobook Metadata (Search Results on Mobile App)19Monitor
Remediation
Which version to upgrade to
Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.
| Product / package | Fixed version | Source |
|---|---|---|
| advplyr audiobookshelf | 2.21.0 · description | Vendor (CNA) |
Exploit status
No known public exploit
No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.
Research context
For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.
Timeline
From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.
No dated events beyond publication.
No history yet (it accumulates with the daily EPSS job).
Patch and commit links
Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.
Credits
All researchersFinders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.
No credits in the CNA record.
Variant candidates
Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.
- CVE-2026-27963302 days apartAudiobookshelf has Stored XSS in Tooltip.vue via Audiobook Metadata19Monitor
- CVE-2026-27973302 days apartAudiobookshelf has Stored XSS in ItemSearchCard.vue via Audiobook Metadata (Search Results on Mobile App)19Monitor
- CVE-2024-35236337 days apartAudiobookshelf Cross-Site-Scripting vulnerability via crafted ebooks19Monitor
Chain candidates
An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.
—
Bug bounty scope
No known public program.
Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).
Technical details
Attack conditions
- Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it.
- No account or password is required.
- No user action is required.
- No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
If successful
- Confidentiality
- Integrity
- Availability
- Attack vector
- Network
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- X
Weakness class (CWE)
CWE-79 · Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')CVSS vector
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:N/SC:L/SI:L/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X
nvd-secondary
Root cause
User content is inserted into the page as HTML. The browser interprets the content as code rather than data.
The bug in code
The whole CWE-79 classA representative example of this vulnerability class. Not the vendor's source code; it shows the faulty pattern and its fix.
Vulnerable
commentEl.innerHTML = comment.body;Fixed
commentEl.textContent = comment.body;Attack context
MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.
Attack patterns (CAPEC)
ATT&CK techniques
—
Change log
- Fix✗ → ✓
For records you follow, these changes also arrive as notifications. →
References
Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.