CVE-2020-5741 — Plex Media Server Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

Overview

Plex Media Server contains a remote code execution vulnerability that allows an attacker with access to the server administrator's Plex account to upload a malicious file via the Camera Upload feature and have the media server execute it.

Vulnerability details

CVE ID

CVE-2020-5741

Vulnerability

Plex Media Server Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

Vendor

Plex

Affected products

Plex: Media Server

Severity

HIGH

Exploitation status

Actively exploited in the wild (CISA KEV)

Published

2023-03-10

Remediation guidance

CVE-2020-5741 is in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog — U.S. federal civilian agencies are required to remediate it under Binding Operational Directive 22-01. Treat it as a priority for every environment.

Apply the vendor's official security update for Plex the affected product as soon as possible. Where a patch is unavailable, apply vendor mitigations or isolate/segment exposed systems.

Hunt for indicators of compromise tied to this vulnerability and confirm logging/EDR coverage on affected assets.

Authoritative references

• NVD — National Vulnerability Database
• MITRE CVE Record
• CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog
• FIRST EPSS — Exploit Prediction Scoring