CVE-2024-32966 — static-web-server
MEDIUMCVE-2024-32966 is a medium-severity (CVSS 5.8) Cross-site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in static-web-server. A fix is available for static-web-server — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Stored Cross-site Scripting in directory listings via file names in static-web-server
Exploitation Status
Proof-of-concept exploit code exists
- CISA’s SSVC triage found public proof-of-concept exploit code for this CVE, though no confirmed active exploitation.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2024-32966.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.
How urgent is this, really
CVE-2024-32966 plotted by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). The shaded corner — EPSS 50%+ and CVSS 7.0+ — is where this CVE doesn't sit, though severity or exploitability alone can still warrant action.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 377,333 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the < 10% band (highlighted). Real counts from FIRST.org, not a sample — log-scaled since the landscape is heavily right-skewed.
Real-World Exposure
static-web-serverReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects crates.io packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
Static Web Server (SWS) is a tiny and fast production-ready web server suitable to serve static web files or assets. In affected versions if directory listings are enabled for a directory that an untrusted user has upload privileges for, a malicious file name like <img src=x onerror=alert(1)>.txt will allow JavaScript code execution in the context of the web server’s domain. SWS generally does not perform escaping of HTML entities on any values inserted in the directory listing. At the very least file_name and current_path could contain malicious data however. file_uri could also be malicious but the relevant scenarios seem to be all caught by hyper. For any web server that allow users to upload files or create directories under a name of their choosing this becomes a stored Cross-site Scripting vulnerability. Users are advised to upgrade. There are no known workarounds for this vulnerability.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🦀crates.io | static-web-server | all versions | 2.30.0cargo update -p static-web-server --precise 2.30.0 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for static-web-server, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update static-web-server to 2.30.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2024-32966 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 Security's impact-aware SCA analyses which vulnerable code paths your application actually calls, so a match like CVE-2024-32966 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to CVE-2024-32966. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2024-32966 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds CVE-2024-32966 across crates.io dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.