Vulnerability in Calibre-Ebook Calibre
CVE-2026-27824
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.
Published · last modified .
CVSS v3 metric
CVSS v3 base score 5.3 (Medium). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N.
EPSS exploit prediction
EPSS: 0.002 (7.9th percentile), scored .
Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 8th percentile — 7.9% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.
EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.001 · newest: 0.002 · change: +0.000
Affected products
- Calibre-Ebook Calibre
- Kovidgoyal Calibre — versions < 9.4.0
Weakness classification (CWE)
References
- github.com/kovidgoyal/calibre/security/advisories/GHSA-vhxc-r7v8-2xrw (Exploit, Vendor Advisory)
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2026-27824?
- CVE-2026-27824 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Calibre-Ebook Calibre, classified under Improper Restriction of Excessive Authentication Attempts. CVSS score: 5.3/10. Published 2026-02-27.
- How severe is CVE-2026-27824?
- Medium severity. CVSS v3 base score is 5.3 out of 10.