CVE-2026-55421
Received Received - Intake

Server-Side Request Forgery in Open edX Platform

Publication date: 2026-09-02

Last updated on: 2026-09-02

Assigner: GitHub, Inc.

Description
Open edX Platform enables the authoring and delivery of online learning at any scale. Prior to commit 00b7c3c, the endpoint accepts user-supplied files[].url, performs a server-side fetch using "requests.get(url, allow_redirects=True)". The fetched bytes are then returned inside a ZIP response. This enables SSRF with response exfiltration. Redirect-following is enabled, and there is no timeout in the vulnerable fetch path. This issue has been patched via commit 00b7c3c.

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Meta Information

Published
2026-09-02
Last Modified
2026-09-02
Generated
2026-09-02
AI Q&A
2026-09-02
EPSS Evaluated
N/A
NVD
CVE-2026-55421
EUVD
EUVD-2026-70223

Affected Vendors & Products

Showing 2 associated CPEs
Vendor Product Version / Range
edx open_edx *
openedx openedx_platform to 00b7c3c (exc)

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE
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KEV
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CWE ID Description
CWE-918 The web server receives a URL or similar request from an upstream component and retrieves the contents of this URL, but it does not sufficiently ensure that the request is being sent to the expected destination.

Attack-Flow Graph

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Executive Summary

This is a Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) vulnerability in the Open edX platform's Studio Video Download Endpoint. It allows authenticated users with Studio read access to supply a URL via the files[].url parameter. The server fetches content from this URL without validating it, enabling SSRF with response exfiltration. The fetched data is returned in a ZIP file, allowing attackers to access internal HTTP-reachable service responses.

Detection Guidance

To detect this vulnerability, monitor network traffic for unusual outbound requests from your Open edX server, particularly to internal or cloud metadata endpoints like 169.254.169.254. Check logs for requests to the PUT /api/contentstore/v1/videos/{course_id}/download endpoint with files[].url parameters pointing to unexpected domains.

Impact Analysis

An attacker could exploit this to access internal services, exfiltrate sensitive data, or consume server resources. For example, they could point the URL at cloud metadata endpoints like http://169.254.169.254/latest/meta-data/ to steal credentials or internal service responses. The vulnerability also risks unauthorized access to internal systems.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive data, violating GDPR's data protection principles and HIPAA's security requirements. Exfiltration of internal service responses may expose personal or health data, risking non-compliance with these regulations.

Mitigation Strategies

Apply the official patch from commit 00b7c3c or later versions to restrict URL fetching to a predefined allowlist of course video URLs. Ensure no unauthenticated users have Studio read access and monitor for any suspicious activity related to the vulnerable endpoint.

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