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QNAP says attackers are breaching NAS devices via Plex2Shell
QNAP said Friday it had received reports of suspected Plex Media Server compromises on customer NAS devices through the Plex2Shell vulnerability chain, BleepingComputer reported.
QNAP Systems said Friday it had received reports of suspected compromises of Plex Media Server on some customers' network-attached storage devices through a vulnerability chain known as Plex2Shell, BleepingComputer reported1.
The Taiwanese NAS vendor said its technical support was assisting affected users and urged customers to update Plex Media Server to the latest build in the QNAP App Center, listed as 1.43.3.108611.
Plex2Shell is a chain of four flaws in Plex Media Server tracked as CVE-2026-96652, CVE-2026-96654, CVE-2026-96655 and CVE-2026-96656, according to BleepingComputer1. Researcher Zach Main reported the issues to Plex on July 27; exploitation began shortly after technical details were published on Oct. 16, the outlet said1.
The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency added all four vulnerabilities to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on Oct. 20, 2026, and told federal agencies to upgrade to Plex 1.43.3.10861 or later within three days, BleepingComputer reported1.
QNAP's product security team said the vulnerabilities exist only in Plex Media Server and that QTS, QuTS hero and other QNAP operating systems are not themselves affected, according to the report1.
For devices running a vulnerable Plex server exposed on the public internet, QNAP said users should treat the NAS and stored content as compromised, BleepingComputer reported1. The company warned that installing an update now will not remove payloads attackers may already have placed on the device1.
Recommended steps in QNAP's security notice, as summarized by BleepingComputer, include checking for indicators of compromise, performing a clean reinstall of QTS or QuTS hero, and resetting Plex and NAS credentials1. Users who do not need remote Plex access were told to disable related features and stop forwarding port 32400; those who need remote access were advised to use a VPN1.
QNAP also published a step-by-step remediation FAQ and said customers can submit logs from suspected incidents through its technical support portal, the report said1.
