node: Authentication Bypass by Alternate Name
CVE-2025-55130 is a critical-severity authentication bypass by alternate name vulnerability in node from Node.js, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.1 out of 10. It can be exploited remotely over the network by an unauthenticated attacker, without any action from a user. Affected node versions: 20.19.6 and earlier; 22.21.1 and earlier; 24.12.0 and earlier, and others listed below. The record does not name a fixed version, so check the vendor advisory. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 1.7% chance of exploitation within 30 days, higher than 78% of scored CVEs.
Critical severity: a successful attack would have severe impact.
What to do
- Update Node.js to 20.20.0 or 22.22.0 or 24.13.0 or 25.3.0, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
- Read the advisory on nodejs.org for workarounds and exact fixed builds.
- Until you can update, restrict network access to the affected service so it is not reachable from untrusted networks.
Affected products and versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Node.js | node | 20.19.6 and earlier; 22.21.1 and earlier; 24.12.0 and earlier; 25.2.1 and earlier | Not stated |
| Red Hat | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 | Not specified in the record | Not stated |
| Red Hat | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10.0 Extended Update Support | Not specified in the record | Not stated |
| Red Hat | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 | Not specified in the record | Not stated |
| Red Hat | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | Not specified in the record | Not stated |
| Red Hat | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.4 Extended Update Support | Not specified in the record | Not stated |
| Red Hat | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.6 Extended Update Support | Not specified in the record | Not stated |
| Red Hat | Red Hat Hardened Images | Not specified in the record | Not stated |
| Node.js | Node.js | 20.0.0 up to, but not including, 20.20.0; 22.0.0 up to, but not including, 22.22.0; 24.0.0 up to, but not including, 24.13.0; 25.0.0 up to, but not including, 25.3.0 | 20.20.0, 22.22.0, 24.13.0, 25.3.0 |
Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.
How the severity score breaks down
- Attack vector
- NetworkCan be exploited remotely over a network, including the internet.
- Attack complexity
- LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
- Privileges required
- NoneNo account or login is needed.
- User interaction
- NoneNo action by a victim is required.
- Scope
- UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component.
- Confidentiality
- HighAll data handled by the component can be read.
- Integrity
- HighData or code can be modified at will.
- Availability
- NoneAvailability is not affected.
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N. Scored by NVD.
| Scoring system | Score | Severity | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 3.1 | 9.1 | Critical | NVD |
| CVSS 3.1 | 7.1 | High | CNA |
| CVSS 3.0 | 7.1 | High | CNA (hackerone.com) |
Official description
A flaw in Node.js’s Permissions model allows attackers to bypass `--allow-fs-read` and `--allow-fs-write` restrictions using crafted relative symlink paths. By chaining directories and symlinks, a script granted access only to the current directory can escape the allowed path and read sensitive files. This breaks the expected isolation guarantees and enables arbitrary file read/write, leading to potential system compromise. This vulnerability affects users of the permission model on Node.js v20, v22, v24, and v25.
Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.
The underlying weakness: Authentication Bypass by Alternate Name
The product performs authentication based on the name of a resource being accessed, or the name of the actor performing the access, but it does not properly check all possible names for that resource or actor.
How developers prevent this class of flaw
- Avoid making decisions based on names of resources (e.g. files) if those resources can have alternate names.
- Inputs should be decoded and canonicalized to the application's current internal representation before being validated (CWE-180). Make sure that the application does not decode the same input twice (CWE-174). Such errors could be used to bypass allowlist validation schemes by introducing dangerous inputs after they have been checked.
More Authentication Bypass by Alternate Name vulnerabilities (CWE-289)
Timeline
- CVE record published.
- CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: no, technical impact: total).
- Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).
References
Advisories
Other references
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:1842
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:1843
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:2420
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:2421
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:2422
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:2767
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:2768
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:2781
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:2782
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:2783
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:2864
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:2899
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:6402
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:6431
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:7386
Other vulnerabilities in node
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 8.1 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 8.1 High severity
Recent Authentication Bypass by Alternate Name vulnerabilities
- 9.8 Critical severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 9.6 Critical severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 9.8 Critical severity
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