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Incorrect AuthorizationWeakness · CWE-863

CVE-2026-42883

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-05-11
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
71/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable 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
Audiobookshelf is a self-hosted audiobook and podcast server. Prior to 2.32.2, the GET /api/libraries/:id/download endpoint validates that the requesting user has access to the library specified in the URL path, but fetches downloadable items solely by attacker-provided IDs without constraining them to that library. An authenticated user with download permission and access to any one library can exfiltrate the full file contents of items belonging to any other library, including libraries they are explicitly denied access to. This vulnerability is fixed in 2.32.2.

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

This is an IDOR (Insecure Direct Object Reference) authorization bypass. The /api/libraries/:id/download endpoint correctly validates the user has access to the library in the URL path, but retrieves files using attacker-supplied item IDs without verifying those items belong to the authorized library. This allows any authenticated user with download permission on at least one library to download arbitrary files from any other library, bypassing access controls.

MitigationUpgrade audiobookshelf to version 2.32.2 or later. As a compensating control, limit download permissions to highly trusted users until patching is complete.

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

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
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/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. Identify audiobookshelf installation
    Locate the audiobookshelf installation and note its installation method (Docker, npm, or direct binary). Check the package.json, docker-compose.yml, or the running service for version information.
    Affected if Cannot determine version or version is not 2.32.2 or later
  2. Verify the installed version
    Run 'npm list audiobookshelf' if installed via npm, check the Docker image tag, or query the API endpoint /api/health to retrieve version info from the response.
    Affected if Installed version is older than 2.32.2 (e.g., 2.32.0, 2.31.0, etc.)
  3. Confirm the vulnerable endpoint exists
    Check if the /api/libraries/:id/download endpoint is accessible by reviewing API route definitions in the codebase or by testing with a valid authenticated session that has download permissions on at least one library.
    Affected if The endpoint is present and accepts requests without additional authorization checks on item IDs
  4. Review user download permissions
    Examine user accounts in the audiobookshelf admin panel or database to determine which users have download permissions on any library. Any user with download permission on at least one library can exploit this vulnerability.
    Affected if There exists at least one user with download permission on a library, and that user could access item IDs from other libraries

You are affected if audiobookshelf is installed with a version lower than 2.32.2 and the /api/libraries/:id/download endpoint is accessible to users with download permissions.

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

Upgrade audiobookshelf to version 2.32.2 or later. As a compensating control, limit download permissions to highly trusted users until patching is complete.

Recommended fix High confidence

2.32.2

  1. Upgrade Audiobookshelf to version 2.32.2 or later. This can typically be done by pulling the latest Docker image (e.g., `docker pull audiobookshelf/audiobookshelf:latest`) and restarting the container, or by using your deployment method's standard update process.
  2. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the Audiobookshelf version in the UI or via API.
  3. Confirm that the /api/libraries/:id/download endpoint now properly validates that requested items belong to the requested library before returning them.

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

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,930
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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-2026-42883 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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