dbcve.org
Path TraversalWeakness · CWE-22

CVE-2026-42888

MEDIUM · 6.9 CVSS v4.0 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 →
78/100
Remediation priority · High
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
Audiobookshelf is a self-hosted audiobook and podcast server. Prior to 2.32.2, the podcast creation endpoint at server/controllers/PodcastController.js accepts a user-controlled file path without sufficient boundary validation to ensure it remains within the intended library directory. 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

Audiobookshelf versions before 2.32.2 contain a path traversal vulnerability in the podcast creation endpoint (server/controllers/PodcastController.js). The endpoint accepts user-controlled file paths without sufficient boundary validation to ensure they remain within the intended library directory, potentially allowing unauthorized file access outside the designated library folder.

MitigationUpgrade to Audiobookshelf version 2.32.2 or later, which implements proper path boundary validation to restrict file operations to the intended library directory.

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
None
Authentication
X
User interaction
None
Scope
X

CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:L/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/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

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 and version
    Locate the audiobookshelf installation directory and check the version file (typically package.json or a version.txt in the root directory). Run: cat package.json | grep version or check the installed version via the web UI at /api/status
    Affected if The installed version is earlier than 2.32.2 (e.g., 2.31.0, 2.30.0, etc.)
  2. Verify podcast feature is enabled or in use
    Check if podcasts are being used in the library. Access the web UI and navigate to the library section, or inspect the server logs for requests to podcast-related endpoints
    Affected if Podcasts have been created or the podcast library feature is active, as the vulnerability lies in the podcast creation endpoint
  3. Inspect PodcastController.js for vulnerable code pattern
    Locate the file server/controllers/PodcastController.js in the audiobookshelf installation directory and examine the podcast creation endpoint handler. Look for path parameter handling without boundary validation (e.g., missing checks ensuring paths stay within the library directory)
    Affected if The code contains path handling logic without proper boundary validation (e.g., no check for '..' traversal or library directory containment)
  4. Check for unauthorized file access indicators
    Review server logs for unusual file access patterns or requests with traversal sequences (e.g., '../') in podcast-related API calls. Example: grep -r 'podcast' logs/*.log | grep '\.\./'
    Affected if Logs show requests containing path traversal patterns in podcast endpoints that accessed files outside the expected library directory

A user is affected if running audiobookshelf version before 2.32.2 AND the podcast feature is in use, as the path traversal vulnerability in the podcast creation endpoint could allow accessing files outside the library directory.

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 to Audiobookshelf version 2.32.2 or later, which implements proper path boundary validation to restrict file operations to the intended library directory.

Recommended fix High confidence

2.32.2

  1. Upgrade Audiobookshelf to version 2.32.2 or later

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

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,420
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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-2026-42888 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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