CVE-2025-25205: audiobookshelf Auth Bypass

Description

Audiobookshelf is a self-hosted audiobook and podcast server. Starting in version 2.17.0 and prior to version 2.19.1, a flaw in the authentication bypass logic allows unauthenticated requests to match certain unanchored regex patterns in the URL. Attackers can craft URLs containing substrings like "/api/items/1/cover" in a query parameter (?r=/api/items/1/cover) to partially bypass authentication or trigger server crashes under certain routes. This could lead to information disclosure of otherwise protected data and, in some cases, a complete denial of service (server crash) if downstream code expects an authenticated user object. Version 2.19.1 contains a patch for the issue.

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CVSS v3.1 Score

8.2

HIGH

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:H

Weakness Type (CWE)

CWE-202 CWE-202

CWE-287 Improper Authentication

CWE-400 Uncontrolled Resource Consumption

Affected Products

Vendor	Product	Versions
audiobookshelf	audiobookshelf	2.17.0 — 2.19.1

References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2025-25205? +

Audiobookshelf is a self-hosted audiobook and podcast server. Starting in version 2.17.0 and prior to version 2.19.1, a flaw in the authentication bypass logic allows unauthenticated requests to match certain unanchored regex patterns in the URL. Attackers can craft URLs containing substrings like "/api/items/1/cover" in a query parameter (?r=/api/items/1/cover) to partially bypass authentication or trigger server crashes under certain routes. This could lead to information disclosure of otherwise protected data and, in some cases, a complete denial of service (server crash) if downstream code expects an authenticated user object. Version 2.19.1 contains a patch for the issue. It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.2 (HIGH).

How severe is CVE-2025-25205? +

CVE-2025-25205 has a CVSS v3.1 score of 8.2 out of 10, rated HIGH. This is a high-severity vulnerability that should be prioritized for patching.

What products are affected by CVE-2025-25205? +

CVE-2025-25205 affects products from audiobookshelf, specifically: audiobookshelf. Check the affected products table above for specific version ranges.

How do I check if I'm vulnerable to CVE-2025-25205? +

You can use Secably's free Website Scanner to check your website for known vulnerabilities. For infrastructure scanning, use the Port Scanner to identify exposed services that may be affected. Check the vendor advisories linked above for specific patch and version information.

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