American Archive of Public Broadcasting allowed access to restricted media for years

A security flaw in the American Archive of Public Broadcasting (AAPB) website allowed unauthorized access to protected and private media for years, according to BleepingComputer. The AAPB is a collaborative initiative between the Library of Congress and WGBH Educational Foundation, aimed at digitally preserving public radio and television programmes from the past seven decades.

The vulnerability enabled access to a wide range of materials, including content that was protected or private, potentially facilitating copyright violations or misuse for scholarship and education. Exploitation reportedly began at least in 2021, even after a prior report to AAPB, but a fix was implemented within 48 hours once BleepingComputer reached out. On Discord the exploit method circulated around halfway through 2024, and a simple script could download content by ID regardless of access controls. Emily Balk, AAPB’s Communications Manager, told BleepingComputer that they have strengthened security to protect the archive.