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Node.jsApplication

CVE-2025-23084

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-01-28
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 18.20.6 / 20.18.2 or later.
See remediation →
57/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
A vulnerability has been identified in Node.js, specifically affecting the handling of drive names in the Windows environment. Certain Node.js functions do not treat drive names as special on Windows. As a result, although Node.js assumes a relative path, it actually refers to the root directory. On Windows, a path that does not start with the file separator is treated as relative to the current directory. This vulnerability affects Windows users of `path.join` API.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · moderate confidence

In Node.js on Windows, the `path.join` API fails to properly handle drive names as special path components. When a path like 'C:file.txt' is passed (without a leading separator), Node.js incorrectly treats it as a relative path instead of recognizing it as an absolute path to the drive root, potentially causing path traversal or incorrect file access.

MitigationUpgrade to a patched version of Node.js that properly handles drive names in path functions on Windows, and review existing code using `path.join` to ensure correct path handling on Windows systems.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Node.jsApplication
Affected:>= 18.0, < 18.20.6>= 20.0, < 20.18.2>= 22.0, < 22.13.1>= 23.0, < 23.6.1

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Confirm you are running Node.js on Windows
    Run `process.platform` in Node.js or check system info - look for 'win32'
    Affected if The platform is not Windows (this vulnerability only affects Windows environments)
  2. Check installed Node.js version
    Run `node --version` in command prompt or terminal
    Affected if Version falls within any of these ranges: 18.0.0-18.20.5, 20.0.0-20.18.1, 22.0.0-22.13.0, or 23.0.0-23.6.0
  3. Identify code using path.join with drive letters
    Search source code for path.join calls and inspect if any arguments contain Windows drive letter patterns like 'C:file.txt' (letter colon without leading backslash)
    Affected if Code uses path.join with drive letter paths in the format 'X:...' without a leading separator on Windows
  4. Test path.join behavior with drive letter input
    Run `node -e "console.log(require('path').join('C:file.txt', 'subdir'))"` and observe output
    Affected if Output incorrectly treats 'C:file.txt' as relative (result contains 'C:file.txt' not 'C:\') rather than recognizing it as absolute drive root path

You are affected if running a vulnerable Node.js version on Windows and your code uses path.join with drive letter paths like 'C:file.txt' that get incorrectly resolved as relative instead of absolute paths.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 18.20.6 / 20.18.2 / 22.13.1 or later
Fixed in 18.20.620.18.222.13.1
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to a patched version of Node.js that properly handles drive names in path functions on Windows, and review existing code using `path.join` to ensure correct path handling on Windows systems.

Recommended fix High confidence

Node.js 18.20.6 (for 18.x), 20.18.2 (for 20.x), 22.13.1 (for 22.x), or 23.6.1 (for 23.x) depending on your major version

  1. Identify your current Node.js version by running `node --version` in your environment
  2. Determine which major version line you are using (18.x, 20.x, 22.x, or 23.x)
  3. If using Node.js 18.x, upgrade to version 18.20.6 or later
  4. If using Node.js 20.x, upgrade to version 20.18.2 or later
  5. If using Node.js 22.x, upgrade to version 22.13.1 or later
  6. If using Node.js 23.x, upgrade to version 23.6.1 or later
  7. After upgrading, verify the new version is installed by running `node --version`
  8. Test your application on Windows to ensure path.join behavior is correct with drive names
Caveat Minor/patch updates typically have low risk, but test your Windows path handling code to confirm behavior matches expectations

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Node.js Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-23084 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data