Plex Media Server External Control of File Name or Path
What to do
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.
CISA deadline 2026-10-23 · due tomorrow · applies to US federal civilian agencies; used elsewhere as a reference SLA
What happened
Plex Media Server contains an external control of file name or path vulnerability which can allow an admin user to write arbitrary files that may be executed on load. This vulnerability can be chained with CVE-2026-96652, CVE-2026-96654, and CVE-2026-96655.
Who is affected
Plex Media Server. Affected version ranges are listed in the vendor advisory and the NVD entry linked under Sources.
Weakness class: CWE-73.
Timeline
- Added to CISA KEVExploitation in the wild confirmed by CISA
- CISA remediation deadlinedue tomorrow
Sources
- NVD entry for CVE-2026-96656 nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-96656
- CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog
- forums.plex.tv forums.plex.tv/t/important-security-update-for-plex-media-server-v1-43-2-and-earlier/942319
- cisa.gov www.cisa.gov/news-events/directives/bod-26-04-prioritizing-security-updates-based-risk
- cisa.gov www.cisa.gov/news-events/directives/bod-26-04-implementation-guidance-prioritizing-security-updates-based-risk
- nvd.nist.gov nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-96656