Plex Media Server Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF)
CVE-2026-96655 is a medium-severity server-side request forgery vulnerability in Media Server from Plex, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 4.3 out of 10. It can be exploited remotely over the network by an attacker with a low-privileged account, without any action from a user. The record lists version 1.43.3.10861 as the first without the flaw, so updating Media Server to that release or later removes the exposure. CISA added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue on October 20, 2026, which means attacks have been observed in the wild.
Attackers are already exploiting this vulnerability, according to CISA.
What to do
- Update Media Server to 1.43.3.10861 or a later version.
- CISA's 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.
Affected products and versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plex | Media Server | before 1.43.3.10861 | 1.43.3.10861 |
Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.
How the severity score breaks down
- Attack vector
- NetworkCan be exploited remotely over a network, including the internet.
- Attack complexity
- LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
- Privileges required
- LowA basic user account is enough.
- User interaction
- NoneNo action by a victim is required.
- Scope
- UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component.
- Confidentiality
- LowSome restricted data can be read.
- Integrity
- NoneNothing can be modified.
- Availability
- NoneAvailability is not affected.
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N. Scored by CNA.
| Scoring system | Score | Severity | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 4.0 | 5.3 | Medium | CNA |
| CVSS 3.1 | 4.3 | Medium | CNA |
Official description
Plex Media Server before 1.43.3.10861 allows an authenticated user to request arbitrary internal or external addresses via the '/video/:/transcode/universal' path parameter.
Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.
The underlying weakness: Server-Side Request Forgery
The web server receives a URL or similar request from an upstream component and retrieves the contents of this URL, but it does not sufficiently ensure that the request is being sent to the expected destination.
How developers prevent this class of flaw
- If there is a known list of applications, IP, hostname, and/or domains to which the product is allowed to communicate, then use allowlists to ensure that outgoing requests are restricted to these known entities. The allowlists could be in the application code or possibly enforced by firewalls or network segmentation.
- If the product is expected to be able to connect to arbitrary IP addresses or domains, consider using a denylist that includes private network addresses, internal domain names, etc. The denylist could be in the application code or possibly enforced by firewalls or network segmentation.
Timeline
- CVE record published.
- CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: active, automatable: no, technical impact: partial).
- Added to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue.
- Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).
- Deadline for US federal agencies to remediate, set by CISA.
References
Patches and release notes
- forums.plex.tv/t/plex-media-server/30447/711Release Notes
Third-party and government advisories
- raw.githubusercontent.com/cisagov/CSAF/develop/csaf_files/IT/white/2026/va-26-266-01.jsonThird Party Advisory
- cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-96655Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
- zmain.info/blog/plex2shellThird Party Advisory
- cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2026-96655US Government Resource
Our coverage
Other vulnerabilities in Media Server
- 7.2 High severity
- 6.5 Medium severity
- 4.3 Medium severity
- 7.1 High severity
- 8.5 High severity
- 7.2 High severity
Plex Media Server Remote Code Execution Exploited
Recent Server-Side Request Forgery vulnerabilities
- 7.1 High severity
- 7.1 High severity
- 9.6 Critical severity
- 8.7 High severity
- 7.3 High severity
- 10.0 Critical severity
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