CVE-2026-62965
SABnzbd: Orphan-job path traversal permits arbitrary file deletion
What happened?
SABnzbd is an open source automated Usenet download tool. Prior to 5.1.0Beta3, orphan-job management in `sabnzbd/api.py` accepts the user-controlled `value` parameter without path confinement before `os.path.join()` with `download_dir`. An absolute path discards that base directory. An attacker with a valid API key can invoke `mode=status` with `name=delete_orphan` to reach `_api_delete_orphan` and `remove_all()` in `sabnzbd/filesystem.py`, which uses `shutil.rmtree()` for recursive deletion. The advisory also identifies `_api_add_orphan` and `_api_delete_all_orphan` as affected by the path-validation issue, while its concrete arbitrary-deletion trace is through `_api_delete_orphan`. The API key is stored in plaintext in `sabnzbd.ini`. The attacker can delete files or directories writable by the SABnzbd process, including configuration, queue data, and downloads, but system files outside the regular user's ownership are not affected. This issue is fixed in version 5.1.0Beta3.
Affected software and versions
| Software | Version information | Fixed version |
|---|---|---|
| sabnzbdsabnzbd | affected: < 5.1.0Beta3 | See vendor advisory |
Version information comes from the source record and can include unaffected products and exceptions. Distribution packages may contain backported fixes: an older upstream version alone does not prove a server is affected.
Is it being exploited?
This CVE was not listed in the CISA catalogue at our last retrieval. This does not establish that exploitation is absent.
How to respond
- Confirm the product, installed package version, and any configuration requirements in the vendor advisory.
- Follow the vendor’s remediation or workaround guidance in the references below. Structured fixed-version data is unavailable here; the publisher’s description may include a fix or workaround.
- Restart affected services if required, then verify the running version. Known exploitation may warrant investigation as well as patching.