CVE-2024-56509 is a high-severity (CVSS 8.6) Path Traversal vulnerability in changedetection-io. A fix is available for changedetection-io — see the affected versions and patch details below.
changedetection.io has Improper Input Validation Leading to LFR/Path Traversal
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.
- CISA assesses this as automatable — exploitation doesn’t require manual, per-target effort, which raises the odds of mass scanning and opportunistic attacks.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2024-56509.
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-2024-56509 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 377,636 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
changedetection-ioReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects PyPI packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
Summary
Improper input validation in the application can allow attackers to perform local file read (LFR) or path traversal attacks. These vulnerabilities occur when user input is used to construct file paths without adequate sanitization or validation. For example, using file:../../../etc/passwd or file: ///etc/passwd can bypass weak validations and allow unauthorized access to sensitive files. Even though this has been addressed in previous patch, it is still insufficient.
Details
The check in this line of code is insufficient.
if re.search(r'^file:/', url.strip(), re.IGNORECASE):
The attacker can still bypass this by using:
-file:../../../../etc/passwd
-file: ///etc/passwd (with space before /)
PoC
- Open up a changedetection.io instance with a webdriver configured.
- Create a new watch with
file:../../../../etc/passwd. - Check the watch preview.
- The contents of
/etc/passwdshould pop out.
Screenshots
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐍PyPI | changedetection-io | all versions | 0.48.05pip install --upgrade 'changedetection-io==0.48.05' |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for changedetection-io, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update changedetection-io to 0.48.05 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2024-56509 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-2024-56509 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to CVE-2024-56509. 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-2024-56509 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds CVE-2024-56509 across PyPI dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.