CVE-2025-12816: High Severity In Node-forge-0.10.0

This article delves into the high-severity vulnerability, CVE-2025-12816, detected in the node-forge-0.10.0.tgz library within the ilan-WS/cloudify-stage project. This comprehensive analysis provides an in-depth understanding of the vulnerability, its potential impact, and the recommended steps to mitigate the risk. We will explore the technical details, the affected components, and the suggested fix to ensure your applications remain secure.

Understanding the Vulnerability: CVE-2025-12816

At its core, CVE-2025-12816 is an interpretation-conflict vulnerability (CWE-436) that affects node-forge versions 1.3.1 and earlier. This flaw allows unauthenticated attackers to craft malicious ASN.1 structures. ASN.1, or Abstract Syntax Notation One, is a standard and notation that describes rules and structures for representing, encoding, transmitting, and decoding data in telecommunications and computer networking. By exploiting this vulnerability, attackers can desynchronize schema validations. This desynchronization leads to a semantic divergence, which could bypass crucial downstream cryptographic verifications and security decisions. In simpler terms, an attacker can manipulate the data's structure in a way that it passes initial checks but fails later, leading to potential security breaches.

The criticality of this vulnerability stems from its ability to bypass security measures. Cryptographic verifications are the backbone of many secure systems, ensuring that data is authentic and untampered. By circumventing these checks, attackers could potentially gain unauthorized access, manipulate data, or perform other malicious activities. This is why understanding and addressing this vulnerability is paramount for maintaining the integrity of your systems.

Vulnerable Library: node-forge-0.10.0.tgz

The vulnerable library identified is node-forge-0.10.0.tgz. Node-Forge is a popular JavaScript library providing implementations of network transports, cryptography, ciphers, PKI (Public Key Infrastructure), message digests, and various utilities. It's a versatile tool used in many applications requiring secure communication and data handling. However, the identified version is susceptible to the CVE-2025-12816 vulnerability. The library's home page is located at https://registry.npmjs.org/node-forge/-/node-forge-0.10.0.tgz.

The vulnerability was discovered in the context of the ilan-WS/cloudify-stage project. The path to the dependency file is /backend/package.json, and the vulnerable library is found at /backend/node_modules/node-forge/package.json and /node_modules/node-forge/package.json. This indicates that the library is deeply embedded within the project's dependencies, making it crucial to address the issue promptly to prevent potential exploits.

Dependency Hierarchy

Understanding the dependency hierarchy is crucial to identifying the scope of the vulnerability. In this case, node-forge-0.10.0.tgz is a transitive dependency, meaning it's not directly included in the project but is a dependency of another library. The dependency chain is as follows:

• passport-saml-2.1.0.tgz (Root Library)
  • xml-encryption-1.2.3.tgz
    • :x: node-forge-0.10.0.tgz (Vulnerable Library)

The root library, passport-saml-2.1.0.tgz, is a popular module for adding SAML (Security Assertion Markup Language) authentication to Node.js applications. It depends on xml-encryption-1.2.3.tgz, which in turn depends on the vulnerable node-forge-0.10.0.tgz. This means that applications using passport-saml are indirectly exposed to this vulnerability, highlighting the importance of addressing transitive dependencies in security patching.

Commit and Branch Information

The vulnerability was found in the HEAD commit 50731d7b248d2728e4e5fda6648192e5a322f08c of the ilan-WS/cloudify-stage repository on GitHub (https://github.com/ilan-WS/cloudify-stage/commit/50731d7b248d2728e4e5fda6648192e5a322f08c). It was also found in the base branch, master, indicating that the vulnerability has been present in the main codebase. This information is crucial for developers to identify and patch the vulnerable code effectively.

Vulnerability Details: Unpacking the Threat

To fully grasp the impact of CVE-2025-12816, it's essential to delve into the specifics of the vulnerability. The core issue lies in the interpretation conflict (CWE-436) within the node-forge library. This conflict enables attackers to craft ASN.1 structures that can desynchronize schema validations. This desynchronization can lead to a semantic divergence, allowing malicious data to bypass security checks.

The publication date for this vulnerability is November 25, 2025. This timeline gives developers a clear timeframe to prioritize and address this issue. The vulnerability was published in the Mend Vulnerability Database, and more information can be found at https://www.mend.io/vulnerability-database/CVE-2025-12816.

Understanding the technical details of the vulnerability is vital for implementing effective mitigation strategies. By knowing how the vulnerability works, developers can take targeted steps to prevent exploitation.

CVSS 3 Score Details: Assessing the Severity

The Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) is a standardized method for rating the severity of security vulnerabilities. The CVSS 3 score for CVE-2025-12816 is 8.6, which is considered high severity. This score provides a quantitative measure of the vulnerability's impact and exploitability.

The CVSS 3 score is derived from several metrics, including:

Base Score Metrics

The base score metrics represent the intrinsic characteristics of the vulnerability:

• Exploitability Metrics:
  • Attack Vector: Network. This means the vulnerability can be exploited remotely over a network.
  • Attack Complexity: Low. The vulnerability is relatively easy to exploit.
  • Privileges Required: None. No special privileges are required to exploit the vulnerability.
  • User Interaction: None. No user interaction is required to trigger the vulnerability.
  • Scope: Changed. An exploited vulnerability can affect resources beyond the security scope managed by the security authority.
• Impact Metrics:
  • Confidentiality Impact: None. There is no impact on data confidentiality.
  • Integrity Impact: High. There is a high impact on data integrity, meaning an attacker can modify data.
  • Availability Impact: None. There is no impact on system availability.

The high CVSS 3 score underscores the need for immediate action to address this vulnerability. The combination of a network attack vector, low attack complexity, and high integrity impact makes this a significant threat.

For more information on CVSS3 Scores, you can visit the FIRST (Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams) website (https://www.first.org/cvss/calculator/3.0). Understanding the CVSS score and its components helps prioritize vulnerabilities and allocate resources effectively.

Suggested Fix: Upgrading to Secure Versions

The recommended fix for CVE-2025-12816 is to upgrade to a secure version of the affected libraries. The suggested fix type is an upgrade, which is often the most straightforward and effective way to address vulnerabilities in third-party libraries.

Origin and Release Date

The origin of the fix information is the GitHub Security Advisory (https://github.com/digitalbazaar/forge/security/advisories/GHSA-5gfm-wpxj-wjgq). This advisory provides detailed information about the vulnerability and the necessary steps to remediate it. The release date of the fix is November 25, 2025, coinciding with the vulnerability's publication date.

Fix Resolution for node-forge

The fix resolution for node-forge is version 1.3.2. Upgrading to this version or later will mitigate the vulnerability. It's crucial to ensure that all instances of node-forge in your project are updated to this version.

Direct Dependency Fix Resolution for passport-saml

Since node-forge is a transitive dependency of passport-saml, it's also necessary to update passport-saml to a version that uses the patched node-forge. The direct dependency fix resolution for passport-saml is version 3.2.1. This version includes the necessary updates to address the vulnerability in node-forge.

Steps to Implement the Fix

To implement the fix, follow these steps:

1. Update node-forge: If you directly depend on node-forge, update to version 1.3.2 or later using your package manager (e.g., npm or yarn).
2. Update passport-saml: Update passport-saml to version 3.2.1 or later. This will ensure that you are using a version that incorporates the patched node-forge.
3. Verify the Fix: After updating, thoroughly test your application to ensure that the vulnerability is no longer present and that all functionality works as expected.
4. Dependency Review: Regularly review your project's dependencies to identify and address any potential vulnerabilities promptly.

By following these steps, you can effectively mitigate the risk posed by CVE-2025-12816 and ensure the security of your applications.

Conclusion

In conclusion, CVE-2025-12816 is a high-severity vulnerability affecting node-forge-0.10.0.tgz that requires immediate attention. The vulnerability allows attackers to craft malicious ASN.1 structures, potentially bypassing cryptographic verifications. To mitigate this risk, it is essential to upgrade node-forge to version 1.3.2 or later and passport-saml to version 3.2.1 or later. By taking these steps, you can protect your applications from potential exploits and maintain the integrity of your systems.

For further information on vulnerability management and security best practices, consider exploring resources from trusted organizations. For example, the OWASP Foundation provides a wealth of information on web application security.

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