CVE-2025-53890: Pyload ng Cross-Site Scripting Vulnerability
CRITICALCVE-2025-53890 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8) cross-site scripting vulnerability (CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection')) affecting Pyload ng libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves pyload vulnerable to xss through insecure captcha. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 0.20.
CVE-2025-53890 at a Glance
Security Impact
CVSS: 9.8
The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).
How to Fix CVE-2025-53890
To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Pyload ng dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.
pip install pyload-ng>=0.20
Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release:
pip show pyload-ng
How to Check if You Are Affected
To determine whether your Python environment is affected by CVE-2025-53890, inspect your installed packages using pip:
pip show pyload-ng
Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Pyload ng in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 0.20), your application is affected.
Note: The pip show pyload-ng command checks currently installed packages in your active Python environment.
Technical Details
Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis
This vulnerability is classified under CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection'), where the product constructs all or part of a code segment using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the syntax or behavior of the intended code segment. In Pyload ng, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.
Source Advisory Statement
CVE-2025-53890 Affected Pyload ng Versions
1 component(s)| Product / Package | Ecosystem | Affected Versions | Fixed Version |
|---|---|---|---|
|
pyload-ng
|
PyPI |
< 0.20
|
0.20
|
References
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2025-53890?
Which Pyload ng versions are affected?
What version fixes CVE-2025-53890?
Is pyload-ng affected?
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2025-53890?
What CWE is associated with CVE-2025-53890?
How can I check PyPI dependencies for CVE-2025-53890?
Machine-readable OSV JSON
OSV v1.5 Schema
{
"schema_version" : "1.4.0",
"id" : "GHSA-8w3f-4r8f-pf53",
"modified" : "2025-07-15T15:38:10Z",
"published" : "2025-07-15T15:38:10Z",
"aliases" : [ "CVE-2025-53890" ],
"summary" : "pyLoad vulnerable to XSS through insecure CAPTCHA ",
"details" : "#### Summary\nAn unsafe JavaScript evaluation vulnerability in pyLoad’s CAPTCHA processing code allows **unauthenticated remote attackers** to execute **arbitrary code** in the client browser and potentially the backend server. Exploitation requires no user interaction or authentication and can result in session hijacking, credential theft, and full system rce.\n\n\n\n#### Details\nThe vulnerable code resides in \n```javascript\nfunction onCaptchaResult(result) {\n eval(result); // Direct execution of attacker-controlled input\n}\n```\n\n* The `onCaptchaResult()` function directly passes CAPTCHA results (sent from the user) into `eval()`\n* No sanitization or validation is performed on this input\n* A malicious CAPTCHA result can include JavaScript such as `fetch()` or `child_process.exec()` in environments using NodeJS\n* Attackers can fully hijack sessions and pivot to remote code execution on the server if the environment allows it\n\n\n\n### Reproduction Methods\n1. **Official Source Installation**:\n```bash\ngit clone https://github.com/pyload/pyload\ncd pyload\ngit checkout 0.4.20\npython -m pip install -e .\npyload --userdir=/tmp/pyload\n```\n\n2. **Virtual Environment**:\n```bash\npython -m venv pyload-env\nsource pyload-env/bin/activate\npip install pyload==0.4.20\npyload\n```\n\n## CAPTCHA Endpoint Verification\n\n\n**Technical Clarification**: \n1. The vulnerable endpoint is actually:\n ```\n /interactive/captcha\n ```\n\n2. Complete PoC Request:\n```http\nPOST /interactive/captcha HTTP/1.1\nHost: localhost:8000\nContent-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded\n\ncid=123&response=1%3Balert(document.cookie)\n```\n\n3. Curl Command Correction:\n```bash\ncurl -X POST \"http://localhost:8000/interactive/captcha\" \\\n -d \"cid=123&response=1%3Balert(document.cookie)\"\n```\n\n\n1. **Vulnerable Code Location**: \n The eval() vulnerability is confirmed in:\n ```\n src/pyload/webui/app/static/js/captcha-interactive.user.js\n ```\n\n\n\n### **Resources**\n\n1. https://github.com/pyload/pyload/commit/909e5c97885237530d1264cfceb5555870eb9546\n2. [OWASP: Avoid `eval()`](https://cheatsheetseries.owasp.org/cheatsheets/JavaScript_Security_Cheat_Sheet.html#eval)\n3. [#4586](https://github.com/pyload/pyload/pull/4586)",
"severity" : [ {
"type" : "CVSS_V3",
"score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
} ],
"affected" : [ {
"package" : {
"ecosystem" : "PyPI",
"name" : "pyload-ng"
},
"ranges" : [ {
"type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
"events" : [ {
"introduced" : "0"
}, {
"fixed" : "0.20"
} ]
} ]
} ],
"references" : [ {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://github.com/pyload/pyload/security/advisories/GHSA-8w3f-4r8f-pf53"
}, {
"type" : "ADVISORY",
"url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-53890"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://github.com/pyload/pyload/pull/4586"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://github.com/pyload/pyload/commit/909e5c97885237530d1264cfceb5555870eb9546"
}, {
"type" : "PACKAGE",
"url" : "https://github.com/pyload/pyload"
} ],
"database_specific" : {
"cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-79", "CWE-94" ],
"severity" : "CRITICAL",
"github_reviewed" : true,
"github_reviewed_at" : "2025-07-15T15:38:10Z",
"nvd_published_at" : "2025-07-15T00:15:24Z"
}
}