CVE-2025-58754: High Severity Vulnerability In Axios

This article dives into the high-severity vulnerability, CVE-2025-58754, detected in axios-0.19.2.tgz. We'll break down the vulnerability details, its potential impact, and the recommended fix. If you're using this version of Axios, it's crucial to understand this issue and take immediate action.

Vulnerable Library: axios-0.19.2.tgz

Axios is a popular, promise-based HTTP client widely used in both browser and Node.js environments. It simplifies making HTTP requests and handling responses. However, version 0.19.2 contains a security flaw that can be exploited.

Library Home Page: https://registry.npmjs.org/axios/-/axios-0.19.2.tgz

Dependency File Path: /package.json

This indicates that the vulnerability exists within your project's direct dependencies. Ensuring your package.json is up-to-date and reflects the necessary security patches is very important. Always review your dependencies and understand the risks associated with outdated libraries.

Vulnerability Details

The core of the issue lies in how Axios handles data: URIs within Node.js environments. Prior to versions 0.30.2 and 1.12.0, when Axios encounters a URL with the data: scheme, it bypasses standard HTTP request procedures. Instead, the Node.js HTTP adapter decodes the entire payload of the URI directly into memory. This decoding process utilizes either a Buffer or Blob object.

The vulnerability's impact is significant because it completely ignores the maxContentLength and maxBodyLength configurations. These configurations are designed to protect against excessively large HTTP responses. Since the data: URI bypasses standard HTTP, an attacker can craft a malicious data: URI containing an enormous payload. When Axios processes this URI, it attempts to load the entire payload into memory, potentially leading to a denial-of-service (DoS) attack.

Specifically, the attacker can cause the Node.js process to allocate an unbounded amount of memory, eventually crashing the application. This is possible even if the application explicitly requests a responseType of 'stream', which is intended to handle large responses more efficiently. The data: URI handling overrides this setting, rendering it ineffective. The potential for a DoS attack makes this vulnerability a serious concern for applications using vulnerable versions of Axios in Node.js environments.

Publish Date: September 12, 2025 01:16 AM

URL: CVE-2025-58754

Score: 7.5 (High Severity)

A CVSS score of 7.5 indicates a high-severity vulnerability. This highlights the urgency in addressing this issue to prevent potential exploits.

Suggested Fix

The recommended solution is to upgrade Axios to either version 0.30.2 or 1.12.0. These versions contain a patch that mitigates the vulnerability by properly handling data: URIs and preventing unbounded memory allocation.

Type: Upgrade version

Origin: https://github.com/axios/axios/security/advisories/GHSA-4hjh-wcwx-xvwj

Release Date: September 12, 2025 01:16 AM

Fix Resolution: https://github.com/axios/axios.git - v1.12.0

Upgrading Axios is a straightforward process using common package managers like npm or yarn. For example, you can use the following command:

npm install axios@latest

or

yarn upgrade axios@latest

Ensure you thoroughly test your application after upgrading Axios to verify that the update doesn't introduce any compatibility issues. Additionally, consider implementing security best practices to further protect your application from potential vulnerabilities. Regularly scanning your dependencies for known vulnerabilities and keeping your libraries up-to-date are essential steps in maintaining a secure application.

Impact and Mitigation: A Deep Dive

To fully grasp the implications of CVE-2025-58754 and how to effectively mitigate it, let's delve deeper into the potential attack scenarios and defense strategies. Understanding the attack vector is crucial for implementing robust security measures. This vulnerability primarily affects Node.js applications due to the specific way Axios handles data: URIs in that environment. Browsers typically have different mechanisms for handling these URIs, which may limit the exploitability of this vulnerability in a browser context.

Attack Scenario: An attacker could inject a malicious data: URI into an application through various means, such as user input, database records, or external configuration files. For example, if an application allows users to submit URLs, an attacker could craft a data: URI containing a large payload and submit it. When the application uses Axios to process this URL, the vulnerability would be triggered, potentially leading to a DoS attack.

Mitigation Strategies: Besides upgrading Axios to a patched version, several other mitigation strategies can be employed to reduce the risk of exploitation:

1. Input Validation: Implement strict input validation to prevent the injection of malicious data: URIs. Sanitize and validate all user-supplied URLs before processing them with Axios. Consider using regular expressions or other techniques to identify and block potentially harmful URIs.
2. Content Security Policy (CSP): Utilize CSP headers to restrict the sources from which the application can load resources. This can help prevent the execution of malicious code injected through data: URIs.
3. Resource Limits: Configure resource limits on the Node.js process to prevent it from consuming excessive memory. This can help mitigate the impact of a DoS attack by limiting the amount of memory that can be allocated.
4. Web Application Firewall (WAF): Deploy a WAF to detect and block malicious requests, including those containing data: URIs with suspicious payloads.
5. Regular Security Audits: Conduct regular security audits of your application to identify and address potential vulnerabilities. This includes reviewing your dependencies and ensuring they are up-to-date with the latest security patches.

It's important to remember that defense in depth is a key principle of security. Implementing multiple layers of security controls can significantly reduce the risk of successful attacks. By combining the recommended upgrade with these additional mitigation strategies, you can create a more robust and secure application.

Conclusion

CVE-2025-58754 poses a significant security risk to applications using vulnerable versions of Axios in Node.js environments. The potential for a denial-of-service attack is a serious concern. Upgrading to version 0.30.2 or 1.12.0 is the primary and most effective way to address this vulnerability. In addition to upgrading, implementing input validation, using CSP headers, configuring resource limits, deploying a WAF, and conducting regular security audits can further strengthen your application's security posture. Staying informed about security vulnerabilities and proactively addressing them is crucial for maintaining a secure and reliable application.

By taking the necessary steps to mitigate this vulnerability, you can protect your application and your users from potential attacks. Remember, security is an ongoing process, and continuous vigilance is essential for staying ahead of emerging threats. Guys, let's stay safe out there!