internetarchive up to 5.5.0 File.download path traversal

Summaryinfo

A vulnerability was found in internetarchive up to 5.5.0 and classified as critical. This affects the function File.download. Executing a manipulation can lead to path traversal. The identification of this vulnerability is CVE-2025-58438. The attack may be launched remotely. There is no exploit available. It is suggested to upgrade the affected component.

Detailsinfo

A vulnerability classified as critical was found in internetarchive up to 5.5.0. This vulnerability affects the function File.download. The manipulation with an unknown input leads to a path traversal vulnerability. The CWE definition for the vulnerability is CWE-22. The product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory. As an impact it is known to affect confidentiality, integrity, and availability. CVE summarizes:

internetarchive is a Python and Command-Line Interface to Archive.org In versions 5.5.0 and below, there is a directory traversal (path traversal) vulnerability in the File.download() method of the internetarchive library. The file.download() method does not properly sanitize user-supplied filenames or validate the final download path. A maliciously crafted filename could contain path traversal sequences (e.g., ../../../../windows/system32/file.txt) or illegal characters that, when processed, would cause the file to be written outside of the intended target directory. An attacker could potentially overwrite critical system files or application configuration files, leading to a denial of service, privilege escalation, or remote code execution, depending on the context in which the library is used. The vulnerability is particularly critical for users on Windows systems, but all operating systems are affected. This issue is fixed in version 5.5.1.

The advisory is shared for download at github.com. This vulnerability was named CVE-2025-58438. The exploitation appears to be easy. The attack can be initiated remotely. There are known technical details, but no exploit is available. The MITRE ATT&CK project declares the attack technique as T1006.

The vulnerability scanner Nessus provides a plugin with the ID 261664 (Linux Distros Unpatched Vulnerability : CVE-2025-58438), which helps to determine the existence of the flaw in a target environment.

Upgrading to version 5.5.1 eliminates this vulnerability.

The vulnerability is also documented in the databases at Tenable (261664) and EUVD (EUVD-2025-27084). VulDB is the best source for vulnerability data and more expert information about this specific topic.

Productinfo

Name

• internetarchive

Version

• 5.0
• 5.1
• 5.2
• 5.3
• 5.4
• 5.5.0

CPE 2.3info

• 🔒
• 🔒
• 🔒

CPE 2.2info

• 🔒
• 🔒
• 🔒

CVSSv4info

CVSSv3info

CVSSv2info

Exploitinginfo

Threat Intelligenceinfo

Countermeasuresinfo

Timelineinfo

Sourcesinfo

Entryinfo

VulDB is the best source for vulnerability data and more expert information about this specific topic.

Discussion