internetarchive is a Python and Command-Line Interface to Archive.org In versions 5.5.0 and below, there is a directory traversal (path traversal) vulnerability in the File.download() method of the internetarchive library. The file.download() method does 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. 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. The vulnerability is particularly critical for users on Windows systems, but all operating systems are affected. This issue is fixed in version 5.5.1.

The remote Ubuntu 20.04 LTS / 22.04 LTS / 24.04 LTS / 25.10 host has packages installed that are affected by a vulnerability as referenced in the USN-7989-1 advisory.

    Pengo Wray discovered that The Internet Archive Python Library incorrectly handled certain file paths when     downloading files. An attacker could possibly use this issue to write files to arbitrary locations on the     file system.

Tenable has extracted the preceding description block directly from the Ubuntu security advisory.

Note that Nessus has not tested for this issue but has instead relied only on the application's self-reported version number.

The remote Debian 12 / 13 host has packages installed that are affected by a vulnerability as referenced in the dsa-6035 advisory.

    - -------------------------------------------------------------------------     Debian Security Advisory DSA-6035-1                   security@debian.org     https://www.debian.org/security/                       Moritz Muehlenhoff     October 23, 2025                      https://www.debian.org/security/faq
    - -------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Package        : python-internetarchive     CVE ID         : CVE-2025-58438

    It was discovered that insecure path handling in the Python interface     to the Internet Archive/archive.org could result in overwriting a     user's files.

    For the oldstable distribution (bookworm), this problem has been fixed     in version 3.3.0-2~deb12u1.

    For the stable distribution (trixie), this problem has been fixed in     version 5.4.0-2~deb13u1.

    We recommend that you upgrade your python-internetarchive packages.

    For the detailed security status of python-internetarchive please refer to     its security tracker page at:
    https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/python-internetarchive

    Further information about Debian Security Advisories, how to apply     these updates to your system and frequently asked questions can be     found at: https://www.debian.org/security/

    Mailing list: debian-security-announce@lists.debian.org

Tenable has extracted the preceding description block directly from the Debian security advisory.

Note that Nessus has not tested for this issue but has instead relied only on the application's self-reported version number.

The remote Debian 11 host has packages installed that are affected by a vulnerability as referenced in the dla-4314 advisory.

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------     Debian LTS Advisory DLA-4314-1                debian-lts@lists.debian.org     https://www.debian.org/lts/security/                       Daniel Leidert     September 30, 2025                            https://wiki.debian.org/LTS
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Package        : python-internetarchive     Version        : 1.9.9-1+deb11u1     CVE ID         : CVE-2025-58438     Debian Bug     : 1114635

    A vulnerability has been discovered in python-internetarchive, a Python     library and command-line interface for searching, downloading and     uploading content to the Internet Archive.

    CVE-2025-58438

       A directory traversal (path traversal) vulnerability exists in the        File.download() method due to not properly sanitizing user-supplied        filenames or validating the final download path

    For Debian 11 bullseye, this problem has been fixed in version     1.9.9-1+deb11u1.

    We recommend that you upgrade your python-internetarchive packages.

    For the detailed security status of python-internetarchive please refer to     its security tracker page at:
    https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/python-internetarchive

    Further information about Debian LTS security advisories, how to apply     these updates to your system and frequently asked questions can be     found at: https://wiki.debian.org/LTS     Attachment:
    signature.asc     Description: This is a digitally signed message part

Tenable has extracted the preceding description block directly from the Debian security advisory.

Note that Nessus has not tested for this issue but has instead relied only on the application's self-reported version number.

The Linux/Unix host has one or more packages installed that are impacted by a vulnerability without a vendor supplied patch available.

  - internetarchive is a Python and Command-Line Interface to Archive.org In versions 5.5.0 and below, there     is a directory traversal (path traversal) vulnerability in the File.download() method of the     internetarchive library. The file.download() method does 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. 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. The     vulnerability is particularly critical for users on Windows systems, but all operating systems are     affected. This issue is fixed in version 5.5.1. (CVE-2025-58438)

Note that Nessus relies on the presence of the package as reported by the vendor.

There are packages installed that are affected by a vulnerability referenced in the following CVE:

  - internetarchive is a Python and Command-Line Interface to Archive.org In versions 5.5.0 and below, there
    is a directory traversal (path traversal) vulnerability in the File.download() method of the
    internetarchive library. The file.download() method does 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. 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. The
    vulnerability is particularly critical for users on Windows systems, but all operating systems are
    affected. This issue is fixed in version 5.5.1. (CVE-2025-58438)

ID	Name	Product	Family	Severity
297804	Ubuntu 20.04 LTS / 22.04 LTS / 24.04 LTS / 25.10 : The Internet Archive Python Library vulnerability (USN-7989-1)	Nessus	Ubuntu Local Security Checks	critical
271276	Debian dsa-6035 : internetarchive - security update	Nessus	Debian Local Security Checks	critical
266146	Debian dla-4314 : internetarchive - security update	Nessus	Debian Local Security Checks	critical
261664	Linux Distros Unpatched Vulnerability : CVE-2025-58438	Nessus	Misc.	critical
435208	SCA: security update for internetarchive (GHSA-wx3r-v6h7-frjp)	Tenable Cloud Security	SCA Checks	critical
435208	SCA: security update for internetarchive (GHSA-wx3r-v6h7-frjp)	Tenable Self-Hosted Container Security	SCA Checks	critical

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