calibre has IP Ban Bypass via X-Forwarded-For Header Spoofing
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- Security bypass
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- Low · None · None
- Fix status
- Fixed
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CNA. Fix status from CNA. Impact type from CWE-307.
Summary
calibre is a cross-platform e-book manager for viewing, converting, editing, and cataloging e-books. Prior to version 9.4.0, the calibre Content Server's brute-force protection mechanism uses a ban key derived from both `remote_addr` and the `X-Forwarded-For` header. Since the `X-Forwarded-For` header is read directly from the HTTP request without any validation or trusted-proxy configuration, an attacker can bypass IP-based bans by simply changing or adding this header, rendering the brute-force protection completely ineffective. This is particularly dangerous for calibre servers exposed to the internet, where brute-force protection is the primary defense against credential stuffing and password guessing attacks. Version 9.4.0 contains a fix for the issue.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- Poc
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Partial
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| kovidgoyal | calibre | before 9.4.0 | 9.4.0 | Patch available | CNA |
- calibre Vendorkovidgoyal Affected before 9.4.0 Fixed in 9.4.0 Patch available CNA
Remediation
- Fix · CNA calibre (kovidgoyal) Fixed in 9.4.0
Vendor assessments
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-27824
More kovidgoyal vulnerabilities
- TI-2026-26023 Kitty has a Heap Buffer Over-Read/Write via Integer Overflow in compose_rectangles Bounds Check CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.9
- TI-2026-51129 Kitty: Command injection into the child shell via chained @kitty-echo + @kitty-ssh DCS escape sequences CVSS 4.0HIGH 7.3
- TI-2026-26014 Kitty has a Heap Buffer Overflow in its Graphics Protocol Handler CVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
- TI-2026-51386 Missing authorization in kovidgoyal calibre CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.5
- TI-2026-51385 calibre: Bypass of Python template restrictions via nested `template()` leading to RCE CVSS 4.0HIGH 8.5
- TI-2026-38585 calibre: Arbitrary Code Execution in Template Formatter via Book Metadata CVSS 4.0HIGH 8.5
Sources
- CVE-2026-27824 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-27824 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- CVE-2026-27824 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences