vulnerability / NVI-00009109 / Revision 3
internetarchive Vulnerable to Directory Traversal in File.download()
GitHub lists this reviewed advisory for internetarchive. Published version ranges and source prerequisites are shown below; this is not an inspection of a visitor’s application.
This report has not inspected your inventory, configuration, deployed build, reachability or evidence. A catalog listing and a severity score do not establish exposure or compromise.
01 / Meaning
Why it matters
Published affected context helps an owner decide what evidence to gather. This report has not examined your application.
9.4 CRITICAL (4.0)
security-advisories@github.com severity; no combined Null risk score.
1.590%
FIRST EPSS model v2026.06.15; exploitation probability over 30 days, percentile 0.75658. Missing scores are unknown.
As of · FIRST EPSS
02 / Applicability
The affected context
Affected versions, configuration prerequisites and known exclusions are public. Confirm each one against the deployed service.
internetarchive
source listed<= 5.5.0
### Impact **What kind of vulnerability is it?** This is a **Critical** severity directory traversal (path traversal) vulnerability in the `File.download()` method of the `internetarchive` library. **Who is impacted?** All users of the `internetarchive` library versions `< 5.5.1` are impacted. The vulnerability is particularly critical for users on **Windows systems**, but all operating systems are affected. **Description of the vulnerability:** The vulnerability existed because the `file.download()` method did 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. **Potential Impact:** 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. ### Patches **Has the problem been patched?** Yes, the problem has been patched. **What versions shou
03 / Response
What to do next
- investigate
Identify the exact component and deployed version, examine the linked publisher’s conditions, and retain evidence of any mitigation.
Confirm current vendor support, compatibility and deployment evidence. This report has not tested a fix in your system. FIRST EPSS
A fixed release is not deployment evidence.
Check current vendor support and compatibility. After making a change, verify the deployed build and relevant runtime conditions. Keep the evidence, owner and time. An updated lockfile alone does not prove what is running.
04 / Limits
What this report cannot establish
- Customer inventory, deployment, reachability and exploitation have not been inspected.
- NVD lastModified does not establish freshness of every associated CPE record.
05 / Provenance
Sources you can inspect
Each assertion retains its source. Mirrored records may repeat one underlying publisher; additional links are not independent corroboration.
- GHSA-wx3r-v6h7-frjp ↗
GitHub Advisory Database · vendor advisory
Observed . GitHub Advisory Database; CC-BY-4.0. Each advisory links its original attribution. Null normalizes fields.
- CVE-2025-58438 ↗
NIST National Vulnerability Database · official catalog
Observed . This product uses data from the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD.
- CVE-2025-58438 ↗
FIRST EPSS · official catalog
Observed . FIRST EPSS; probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, not local compromise. Dataset date/model retained; FIRST services terms apply.
Public revision history
Only published revisions appear here. Routine fetches do not create a material-change event.
- Revision 3 ·
Source facts changed; compare the preserved prior revision.
- Revision 2 ·
Dated EPSS estimate updated; this is not a new disclosure or proof of exploitation.
- Revision 1 ·
First indexed by Null; source disclosure date is shown separately.