CVE-2025-58754: High Vulnerability In Axios 0.19.2

In the realm of software development, security vulnerabilities are a constant concern. One such vulnerability, CVE-2025-58754, has been identified as a high-severity issue affecting axios-0.19.2.tgz, a widely-used promise-based HTTP client for browsers and Node.js. This article delves into the details of this vulnerability, its potential impact, and the necessary steps to mitigate the risk. Understanding and addressing such vulnerabilities is crucial for maintaining the integrity and security of web applications.

What is CVE-2025-58754?

CVE-2025-58754 is a high-severity vulnerability discovered in axios-0.19.2.tgz. Axios, a popular library for making HTTP requests, is used extensively in both browser and Node.js environments. This particular vulnerability can lead to a Denial of Service (DoS) attack, making it critical to address promptly. The vulnerability arises from how Axios handles URLs with the data: scheme in Node.js environments. Specifically, versions prior to 0.30.2 and 1.12.0 are susceptible to this issue.

When Axios encounters a data: URL, it decodes the entire payload into memory. This process bypasses the maxContentLength and maxBodyLength protections, which are designed to limit the size of HTTP responses. An attacker can exploit this by providing a large data: URI, causing the system to allocate an unbounded amount of memory, potentially leading to a crash. This vulnerability is particularly concerning because it can be triggered even if the application requests a streamed response (responseType: 'stream'), which is typically used to handle large data efficiently.

The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) system provides a standardized way to identify and catalog publicly known security flaws. Each vulnerability is assigned a unique identifier, such as CVE-2025-58754, which allows developers and security professionals to track and address the issue effectively. This system helps ensure that vulnerabilities are well-documented and that mitigation strategies can be communicated clearly.

Vulnerability Details

The specifics of CVE-2025-58754 highlight a critical flaw in how Axios processes data: URLs. These URLs, which embed data directly within the URL itself, are commonly used for small resources like images or text. However, when a large amount of data is encoded in a data: URL, it can become a vector for attack. In the vulnerable versions of Axios, the library attempts to decode the entire payload into memory without proper size limitations. This can lead to excessive memory allocation, causing the application to slow down or crash entirely.

This issue is exacerbated by the fact that the maxContentLength and maxBodyLength configurations, which are meant to protect against large HTTP responses, do not apply to data: URLs. An attacker can therefore bypass these safeguards and force the application to consume excessive resources. The impact is significant, as it can render the application unavailable to legitimate users, leading to a denial of service.

The key aspects of the vulnerability include:

• Unbounded Memory Allocation: Axios decodes the entire payload of a data: URL into memory without any size limits.
• Bypass of Size Limits: The maxContentLength and maxBodyLength configurations are ineffective against data: URLs.
• Denial of Service (DoS): An attacker can exploit this vulnerability to cause the application to crash by supplying a large data: URI.
• Relevance to Node.js: This vulnerability primarily affects Axios when used in Node.js environments.

Impact of the Vulnerability

The impact of CVE-2025-58754 is significant, especially for applications that handle untrusted input. A successful exploit can lead to a denial-of-service condition, where the application becomes unresponsive and unavailable to users. This can result in financial losses, damage to reputation, and disruption of services.

For organizations that rely on Axios in their Node.js applications, this vulnerability poses a serious risk. Applications that process user-provided URLs or data are particularly vulnerable, as an attacker can craft malicious data: URLs to trigger the vulnerability. The ease with which this vulnerability can be exploited makes it a high priority for remediation.

The potential consequences of this vulnerability include:

• Application Downtime: The most immediate impact is the potential for application crashes and downtime, disrupting services for users.
• Resource Exhaustion: The unbounded memory allocation can exhaust system resources, affecting other applications running on the same server.
• Financial Losses: Downtime and service disruptions can lead to financial losses due to lost revenue and recovery costs.
• Reputational Damage: Security incidents can damage an organization's reputation, leading to a loss of customer trust.

Affected Versions

The vulnerability specifically affects versions of Axios prior to 0.30.2 and 1.12.0. This means that any application using axios-0.19.2.tgz or earlier versions is at risk. It is crucial for developers to check the version of Axios used in their projects and take immediate action if they are running a vulnerable version.

To determine the version of Axios used in a project, developers can inspect the project's package.json file or use package management tools like npm or yarn to list installed packages and their versions. Once a vulnerable version is identified, the next step is to upgrade to a patched version.

The affected versions include:

• Axios versions prior to 0.30.2
• Axios versions prior to 1.12.0

Suggested Fix: Upgrading Axios

The recommended solution to address CVE-2025-58754 is to upgrade Axios to a patched version. Specifically, versions 0.30.2 and 1.12.0 and later contain the necessary fixes to mitigate the vulnerability. Upgrading Axios is a straightforward process that can be accomplished using package management tools like npm or yarn.

To upgrade Axios, you can use the following commands:

• npm: npm install axios@latest
• yarn: yarn upgrade axios

These commands will update Axios to the latest version, which includes the fix for CVE-2025-58754. It is essential to test the application thoroughly after upgrading to ensure that the new version of Axios does not introduce any compatibility issues.

The suggested fix involves:

• Upgrading to version 0.30.2 or later: This version includes a patch that addresses the vulnerability.
• Upgrading to version 1.12.0 or later: This version also includes the necessary fix.
• Testing the application: After upgrading, thoroughly test the application to ensure compatibility and stability.

Additional Security Measures

While upgrading Axios is the primary step in mitigating CVE-2025-58754, it is also advisable to implement additional security measures to protect against similar vulnerabilities in the future. These measures include input validation, rate limiting, and web application firewalls (WAFs).

• Input Validation: Validate all user-provided input to ensure that it conforms to expected formats and does not contain malicious data. This can help prevent attacks that exploit vulnerabilities related to input handling.
• Rate Limiting: Implement rate limiting to restrict the number of requests from a single IP address or user within a given time frame. This can help prevent denial-of-service attacks by limiting the attacker's ability to flood the system with requests.
• Web Application Firewalls (WAFs): Deploy a WAF to filter out malicious traffic and protect against common web application attacks. A WAF can help detect and block attacks that exploit vulnerabilities like CVE-2025-58754.

By implementing these additional security measures, organizations can enhance their overall security posture and reduce the risk of exploitation.

Conclusion

CVE-2025-58754 is a high-severity vulnerability affecting axios-0.19.2.tgz that can lead to denial-of-service attacks. Upgrading to Axios version 0.30.2 or 1.12.0 and later is crucial for mitigating this risk. Additionally, implementing security best practices such as input validation, rate limiting, and the use of web application firewalls can provide further protection.

Staying informed about security vulnerabilities and taking proactive measures to address them is essential for maintaining the security and reliability of web applications. By understanding the details of vulnerabilities like CVE-2025-58754 and following the recommended mitigation steps, developers and organizations can protect their systems and users from potential harm.

For more information on web security best practices, consider visiting the OWASP Foundation, a trusted resource for web application security.