Cross-Site Request Forgery on any API call in pyLoad may lead to admin privilege escalation

The core of this vulnerability lies in the pyLoad API's design and the lack of proper security controls. Because the session cookie is not set with the SameSite: strict attribute, an attacker can craft malicious requests from a different origin to impersonate a legitimate user. This effectively bypasses authentication and authorization mechanisms. An attacker could leverage this to perform actions such as modifying download configurations, accessing sensitive data, or even potentially gaining control over the system running pyLoad, depending on the API's functionality and permissions. The lack of authentication makes this particularly dangerous, as any user with the ability to craft CSRF requests can exploit it.

Systems running pyLoad versions prior to 0.5.0b3.dev78 are at risk, particularly those exposed to untrusted networks or web applications. Shared hosting environments where multiple users share the same pyLoad instance are especially vulnerable, as an attacker could potentially exploit the vulnerability through a compromised website on the same server.

• python: Monitor pyLoad API endpoint requests for unusual origins. Use Python's logging module to log all API requests, including the Origin header.

import logging
# Example: Log requests with suspicious origins
logging.basicConfig(level=logging.INFO)

def log_request(origin):
    if 'suspicious-domain.com' in origin:
        logging.info(f'Suspicious origin detected: {origin}')

• generic web: Examine web server access logs for requests to pyLoad API endpoints originating from unexpected or unauthorized domains. Look for patterns indicative of CSRF attacks. • generic web: Check response headers for the absence of SameSite=Strict on pyLoad API cookies. Use curl -I <pyloadapiurl> to inspect headers.

1. 2024-01-17Disclosure

   disclosure

1. Reservado2024-01-10
2. Publicada2024-01-17
3. Modificada2025-06-17
4. EPSS atualizado2026-04-02

The primary mitigation for CVE-2024-22416 is to immediately upgrade pyLoad to version 0.5.0b3.dev78 or later. If upgrading is not immediately feasible due to compatibility issues or system downtime constraints, consider implementing a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with CSRF protection rules. These rules should specifically target API endpoints within pyLoad and validate the Origin header to prevent cross-origin requests. Additionally, carefully review and restrict access to the pyLoad API endpoints to minimize the potential impact of a successful attack. After upgrading, confirm the fix by attempting a CSRF attack against a pyLoad API endpoint using a tool like Burp Suite and verifying that the request is rejected.