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ArchiveboxApplication

CVE-2026-42601

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-05-09
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 0.8.6 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Public exploit Remotely reachable No privileges 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
ArchiveBox is an open source self-hosted web archiving system. In versions 0.8.6rc0 and prior, the /add/ endpoint (AddView in core/views.py) accepts a config JSON field that gets merged into the crawl config without validation. This config is exported as environment variables when archive plugins run, allowing injection of arbitrary tool arguments to achieve RCE. At time of publication, there are no publicly available patches.

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

The /add/ endpoint in ArchiveBox versions 0.8.6rc0 and prior accepts a config JSON field that gets merged into the crawl configuration without any validation. This unsanitized config is then exported as environment variables when archive plugins execute, allowing attackers to inject arbitrary tool arguments and achieve remote code execution.

MitigationImplement strict validation and allowlisting for the config JSON field in the /add/ endpoint before it is merged into the crawl config. Until a patch is available, consider network segmentation or disabling the /add/ endpoint from untrusted networks.

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
ArchiveboxApplication
Affected:< 0.8.6= 0.8.6

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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

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

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. Check ArchiveBox version
    Run 'archivebox --version' or check the version file in your installation directory
    Affected if Version is 0.8.6 or any version prior to 0.8.6 (including 0.8.6rc0)
  2. Verify /add/ endpoint is network-accessible
    Check firewall rules, reverse proxy configuration, or network ACLs to determine if the /add/ HTTP endpoint is exposed to untrusted networks
    Affected if The /add/ endpoint is reachable from the internet or untrusted networks without authentication
  3. Confirm archive plugins are enabled
    Inspect the ArchiveBox configuration (config.yaml, config.json, or environment variables) for enabled archive plugins (e.g., screenshot, singlefile, mercury, readability)
    Affected if Archive plugins are enabled and configured to execute during crawl operations
  4. Test for unauthenticated config injection
    Send a POST request to /add/ with a config JSON field containing a test parameter (e.g., {'test': 'value'}) and verify it is accepted without validation
    Affected if The /add/ endpoint accepts and processes arbitrary JSON in the config field without sanitization or validation

You are affected if running ArchiveBox version 0.8.6 or earlier AND the /add/ endpoint is exposed to untrusted access AND archive plugins are enabled, as this combination allows unauthenticated config injection leading to RCE.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to 0.8.6 or later
Fixed in 0.8.6
Interim mitigation

Implement strict validation and allowlisting for the config JSON field in the /add/ endpoint before it is merged into the crawl config. Until a patch is available, consider network segmentation or disabling the /add/ endpoint from untrusted networks.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Latest version > 0.8.6 (check GitHub for exact release)

  1. 1. Back up your ArchiveBox data and configuration before upgrading
  2. 2. Check the official ArchiveBox GitHub repository (github.com) for the latest release version that addresses this vulnerability
  3. 3. Upgrade ArchiveBox to the latest available version (ideally a version higher than 0.8.6)
  4. 4. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the version number
  5. 5. Test the /add/ endpoint to ensure it no longer allows arbitrary config injection
  6. 6. Review the configuration to ensure no malicious entries were added during the vulnerability window
Caveat Review release notes for any breaking changes between your current version and the target version

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

Fix this in Archivebox Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
28.0 hours of engineering $4,880
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $7,808.

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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-2026-42601 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data