CVE-2026-96652: Plex Media Server unauthenticated SSRF via /player/timeline (Plex2Shell)

Exploited in the wild Medium 5.3 EPSS 11.9% Plex Media Server

Plex Media Server before 1.43.3.10861 has a server-side request forgery in /player/timeline: with any X-Plex-Token value an attacker can put a full URL in the 'protocol' parameter and make the server POST to a destination of their choice, including itself on 127.0.0.1. Chained together, CVE-2026-96652, -96654, -96655 and -96656 let an unauthenticated remote attacker run code as the Plex Media Server user; Plex says they are being actively and widely exploited since a public proof of concept appeared on October 16, 2026, with compromised servers used for cryptocurrency mining and proxyware. CISA added all four to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2026-10-20.

Also known as “Plex2Shell”.

CVE-2026-96652CVE identifier
5.3CVSS 4.0 base score (medium)
2026-10-20added to CISA's exploited list (US federal deadline 2026-11-03)
11.9%EPSS: chance of exploitation in the next 30 days (higher than 96% of CVEs)
2026-09-23published

What do these terms mean? CVE · CVSS score · exploited (KEV) · EPSS · backported fix · all terms

What to do now

Check whether you run Plex Media Server and which version (commands below).
Install the fixed version for your system: see “Patch it” below.
The package upgrade restarts Plex Media Server; confirm the version under Settings > General is 1.43.3.10861 or newer.
If you cannot patch today, apply the temporary mitigation below and patch as soon as possible.
Because this flaw is being exploited, also check the server for signs of compromise.

Affected and fixed versions

Affected:

Plex Media Server before 1.43.3.10861

Fixed in:

Plex Media Server 1.43.3.10861 (released to everyone 2026-08-04)

Am I affected?

dpkg -s plexmediaserver | grep '^Version'
rpm -q plexmediaserver
docker exec plex dpkg -s plexmediaserver | grep '^Version'

Patch it

Use the commands for your system. Distribution packages often keep an older version number with the fix backported, so compare with the fixed package versions in the table below, not only with the upstream version.

Debian

# Plex repository (repo.plex.tv, used since PMS 1.43.0)
sudo apt update
sudo apt install --only-upgrade plexmediaserver
# without the repo: download the .deb from plex.tv/downloads, then
sudo dpkg -i plexmediaserver_<version>_amd64.deb

Ubuntu

# Plex repository (repo.plex.tv, used since PMS 1.43.0)
sudo apt update
sudo apt install --only-upgrade plexmediaserver
# without the repo: download the .deb from plex.tv/downloads, then
sudo dpkg -i plexmediaserver_<version>_amd64.deb

RHEL, AlmaLinux, Rocky, Oracle

# Plex repository (repo.plex.tv)
sudo dnf upgrade plexmediaserver
# without the repo: download the .rpm from plex.tv/downloads, then
sudo dnf install ./plexmediaserver-<version>.x86_64.rpm

Fedora

sudo dnf upgrade plexmediaserver
# or: sudo dnf install ./plexmediaserver-<version>.x86_64.rpm

SUSE / openSUSE

not in distro repos: downloads.plex.tv

Amazon Linux

not in distro repos: downloads.plex.tv

Arch Linux

not in official repos

Alpine

not packaged: Docker image plexinc/pms-docker

FreeBSD

pkg update && pkg upgrade plexmediaserver

Docker images

# 'public'/'beta' tags update PMS on container restart:
docker restart plex
# version-tagged or 'latest' images: pull and recreate
docker pull plexinc/pms-docker:latest
docker stop plex && docker rm plex
# re-run your original docker run / docker compose up -d command

General update steps for every system are on the Linux and Unix & BSD pages; after updating, see which services to restart.

If you cannot patch yet

If you do not need remote access, turn it off under Settings > Remote Access and do not forward port 32400 directly (Plex recommendation).

Look for signs of exploitation

Processes started by Plex Media Server that you do not recognise, especially names like myawesomeproxy, mylovelyminer or x12345 (Plex).
Unfamiliar .so or .dll files in the Plex Codecs folder, and transcoder options you did not set in Preferences.xml (e.g. TranscoderH264Options containing dump-yuv) (Plex, researcher write-up).
Outbound connections to proxystream.st, or sustained high CPU while nothing is playing (Plex).
If compromised or unsure: rebuild from a clean install instead of reusing the Plex data directory (at minimum empty the Codecs folder), sign out all devices and change the Plex password, and treat shares/credentials reachable by the Plex account as exposed (Plex).

CISA 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.

https://forums.plex.tv/t/important-security-update-for-plex-media-server-v1-43-2-and-earlier/942319 ; ; BOD 26-04: https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/directives/bod-26-04-prioritizing-security-updates-based-risk ; Forensics Triage Requirements: https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/directives/bod-26-04-implementation-guidance-prioritizing-security-updates-based-risk ; https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-96652

Related vulnerabilities

Sources

Page generated automatically from official sources on 2026-11-03 18:05 UTC and reviewed by an editor. Always confirm with your vendor's advisory.