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Vulnerability record · CVE-2026-96656 · published 23 September 2026

CVE-2026-96656: Plex media server vulnerability

Plex · Media Server

Plex Media Server before 1.43.3.10861 allows an admin user to write arbitrary files that may be executed on load. The preference TranscoderH264Options is appended verbatim to x264's option string on every transcode. At startup, all .so files are run without signature, execute bit, or symbol checks.

8.6 CVSS 4.0 High CISA KEV since 20 Oct 2026 EPSS 1.8% · top 21.4% CWE-73 · CWE-73
8.6CVSS 4.0 base score
1.8%EPSS exploitation probability, 30 days
YesIn CISA KEV, fix deadline passed
1Affected product versions listed by NVD
6References
21 Oct 2026Last modified by NVD

Description

Plex Media Server before 1.43.3.10861 allows an admin user to write arbitrary files that may be executed on load. The preference TranscoderH264Options is appended verbatim to x264's option string on every transcode. At startup, all .so files are run without signature, execute bit, or symbol checks.

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

Exploitation in the wild

CISA added CVE-2026-96656 to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 20 October 2026 as "Plex Media Server External Control of File Name or Path Vulnerability". Required action: Apply mitigations in accordance with vendor instructions, ensuring compliance with CISA’s BOD 26-04 Prioritizing Security Updates Based on Risk (see URL in Notes) guidance and CISA’s “Forensics Triage Requirements” (see URL in Notes). Follow applicable BOD 26-04 guidance for cloud services or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable. Stakeholders are responsible for evaluating each asset's internet exposure and ensuring adherence to BOD 26-04 patching guidelines. Federal deadline 23 October 2026.

Affected products

1 vulnerable configurations from NVD's CPE data, grouped by vendor and product.

References

LinkTags
https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-media-server/30447/711 Release Notes
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/cisagov/CSAF/develop/csaf_files/IT/white/2026/va-26-266-01.json Third Party Advisory
https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-96656 Third Party AdvisoryVDB Entry
https://zmain.info/blog/plex2shell Third Party Advisory
https://www.boredhackerblog.info/2026/10/plex-vulnerabilities-being-exploited-in.html Third Party Advisory
https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2026-96656 US Government Resource

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Related vulnerabilities

Same products first, then exploited flaws of the same weakness class.

7.2CVE-2020-5741Plex Media Server Windows deserialization leads to Python code executionPlex Media Server on Windows deserializes untrusted data, allowing a remote, authenticated attacker to execute arbitrary Python code. The flaw is a C…KEVEPSS 73%analysed6.9CVE-2026-96654Plex media server vulnerabilityPlex Media Server before 1.43.3.10861 does not correctly neutralize URL values included in 'searchOne,' allowing an attacker to call other plugins' f…KEVEPSS 1.9%5.3CVE-2026-96655Plex media server server-side request forgery (ssrf) vulnerabilityPlex Media Server before 1.43.3.10861 allows an authenticated user to request arbitrary internal or external addresses via the '/video/:/transcode/un…KEVEPSS 11%5.3CVE-2026-96652Plex media server server-side request forgery (ssrf) vulnerabilityPlex Media Server before 1.43.3.10861 allows SSRF via '/player/timeline'. An attacker using any X-Plex-Token value can include a full URL in the 'pro…KEVEPSS 12%9.8CVE-2018-13415Plex media server xml external entity (xxe) vulnerabilityIn Plex Media Server 1.13.2.5154, the XML parsing engine for SSDP/UPnP functionality is vulnerable to an XML External Entity Processing (XXE) attack.…EPSS 31%8.8CVE-2020-5742Plex media server vulnerabilityImproper Access Control in Plex Media Server prior to June 15, 2020 allows any origin to execute cross-origin application requests.EPSS 1.5%8.8CVE-2019-19141Plex media server path traversal vulnerabilityThe Camera Upload functionality in Plex Media Server through 1.18.2.2029 allows remote authenticated users to write files anywhere the user account r…EPSS 4.7%7.8CVE-2020-5740Plex media server uncontrolled search path element vulnerabilityImproper Input Validation in Plex Media Server on Windows allows a local, unauthenticated attacker to execute arbitrary Python code with SYSTEM privi…EPSS 0.75%

Source: NIST National Vulnerability Database (record CVE-2026-96656), CISA KEV, FIRST EPSS (scores of 2026-11-11). This page is refreshed as NVD updates the record.