Cyber Resilience

CVE-2026-33511

Access Control in Pyload ≤ 0.4.20

Public PoCAccess Control
Published
24 March 2026
Modified
26 March 2026
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v4 8.8
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:L/VI:H/VA:L/SC:N/SI:L/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X
EPSS Score 0.0042 35th percentile
Risk Priority 44 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2026-33511 is a high-severity Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key (CWE-639) vulnerability in Pyload Pyload. Its CVSS base score is 8.8 (High).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploit Public-Facing Application (T1190); ranked at the 35th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.

The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to AC-24 (Access Control Decisions) and AC-3 (Access Enforcement) — see the control section below for these in your framework.

Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary

Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.

CVE-2026-33511 affects pyLoad, a free and open-source download manager written in Python. The vulnerability resides in the local_check decorator within the ClickNLoad feature, which can be bypassed via HTTP Host header spoofing. It impacts versions from 0.4.20 up to but not including 0.5.0b3.dev97, earning a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) and mapping to CWE-639 (Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key).

Any unauthenticated remote attacker can exploit this issue by spoofing the HTTP Host header to access endpoints restricted to localhost. Successful exploitation grants the ability to inject arbitrary downloads, write files to the storage directory, and execute JavaScript code, potentially leading to full compromise of the affected pyLoad instance.

The GitHub security advisory (GHSA-g5j2-gxqh-x7pw) confirms the issue has been patched in pyLoad version 0.5.0b3.dev97, recommending users upgrade to this or later versions to mitigate the vulnerability.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

pyLoad is a free and open-source download manager written in Python. From version 0.4.20 to before version 0.5.0b3.dev97, the local_check decorator in pyLoad's ClickNLoad feature can be bypassed by any remote attacker through HTTP Host header spoofing. This allows unauthenticated…

more

remote users to access localhost-restricted endpoints, enabling them to inject arbitrary downloads, write files to the storage directory, and execute JavaScript code. This issue has been patched in version 0.5.0b3.dev97.

CWE(s)

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1190 Exploit Public-Facing Application Initial Access
Adversaries may attempt to exploit a weakness in an Internet-facing host or system to initially access a network.
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2026-32808Same product: Pyload-Ng Project Pyload-Ng
CVE-2023-0488Same product: Pyload-Ng Project Pyload-Ng
CVE-2026-33509Same product: Pyload-Ng Project Pyload-Ng
CVE-2023-0057Same product: Pyload-Ng Project Pyload-Ng
CVE-2023-0509Same product: Pyload-Ng Project Pyload-Ng
CVE-2026-42315Same product: Pyload-Ng Project Pyload-Ng
CVE-2026-33992Same product: Pyload Pyload
CVE-2026-35187Same product: Pyload-Ng Project Pyload-Ng
CVE-2023-47890Same product: Pyload Pyload
CVE-2026-42314Same product: Pyload-Ng Project Pyload-Ng

Affected Assets

pyload
pyload
≤ 0.4.20
pyload-ng project
pyload-ng
0.5.0a5.dev528 — 0.5.0b3.dev97

Mitigating Controls

Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI

Enforcing approved authorizations on every access request structurally stops a user-controlled key from reaching another user's data.

Requiring explicit access-control decisions on each request blocks unauthorized key-driven access.

Least-privilege restrictions limit the scope of data reachable even if a key check is bypassed.

Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

PR.AA-05 full match
prevents

Enforcing authorization policy and least privilege directly blocks user-controlled key tampering that bypasses access checks.

PR.IR-01 mostly match
prevents

Logical access controls prevent unauthorized data access that results from missing authorization checks on object references.

Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

finds

Security testing can detect missing authorization checks but does not prevent the weakness in production.

prevents

Information access restriction explicitly enforces that users may only retrieve data they are authorized to see, directly addressing user-controlled key bypass.

prevents

Access control policy directly requires enforcement of authorization rules that prevent unauthorized access via manipulated keys.

prevents

Managing access rights includes ensuring users can only access their own records and not bypass authorization by altering identifiers.

mitigates

Privileged access rights control restricts what data each user may access, mitigating direct object reference attacks.

prevents

Secure development lifecycle includes authorization design but does not itself implement runtime access checks.

References