CVE-2025-54123
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 · uneditedHoverfly is an open source API simulation tool. In versions 1.11.3 and prior, the middleware functionality in Hoverfly is vulnerable to command injection vulnerability at `/api/v2/hoverfly/middleware` endpoint due to insufficient validation and sanitization in user input. The vulnerability exists in the middleware management API endpoint `/api/v2/hoverfly/middleware`. This issue is born due to combination of three code level flaws: Insufficient Input Validation in middleware.go line 94-96; Unsafe Command Execution in local_middleware.go line 14-19; and Immediate Execution During Testing in hoverfly_service.go line 173. This allows an attacker to gain remote code execution (RCE) on any system running the vulnerable Hoverfly service. Since the input is directly passed to system commands without proper checks, an attacker can upload a malicious payload or directly execute arbitrary commands (including reverse shells) on the host server with the privileges of the Hoverfly process. Commit 17e60a9bc78826deb4b782dca1c1abd3dbe60d40 in version 1.12.0 disables the set middleware API by default, and subsequent changes to documentation make users aware of the security changes of exposing the set middleware 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 · high confidenceHoverfly versions 1.11.3 and prior contain a command injection vulnerability in the middleware management API endpoint (/api/v2/hoverfly/middleware) due to insufficient input validation and unsafe command execution. The vulnerability allows unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary commands on the host system with the privileges of the Hoverfly process, achieving full remote code execution.
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< 1.12.0CVSS 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
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify Hoverfly versionRun 'hoverctl version' or check the installed package version using your system package manager (e.g., 'dpkg -l | grep hoverfly', 'rpm -qi hoverfly', or check the binary version)Affected if The installed version is 1.11.3 or prior, or any version below 1.12.0
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Verify middleware API is enabledCheck if the /api/v2/hoverfly/middleware endpoint is accessible by making a GET request to the Hoverfly admin API (e.g., curl http://localhost:8888/api/v2/hoverfly/middleware)Affected if The middleware API returns a response instead of a 404 or authentication error, indicating it is enabled and reachable
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Assess network exposureReview network configuration to determine if the Hoverfly admin API (typically port 8888) is bound to a non-loopback address or is accessible from external IP addresses; check firewall rules and any proxy configurationsAffected if The API is bound to 0.0.0.0 or an external IP address, or is accessible from untrusted networks without firewall restrictions
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Confirm unauthenticated accessTest the middleware API endpoint without providing any credentials to verify if authentication is enforcedAffected if The endpoint responds to unauthenticated requests, allowing unauthenticated command injection
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Check for middleware configurationExamine any existing middleware configurations via 'hoverctl middleware get' or by reviewing the API response for configured middleware pathsAffected if Middleware is configured and the API is accessible, satisfying the conditions for command injection exploitation
You are affected if Hoverfly version is below 1.12.0 AND the /api/v2/hoverfly/middleware API endpoint is enabled and exposed without proper authentication or network access controls.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 · scoped1.12.0
Upgrade Hoverfly to version 1.12.0 or later, which disables the set middleware API by default. If the middleware functionality is required, ensure proper network access controls are in place and validate that the API is not exposed to untrusted networks.
Hoverfly version 1.12.0
- Identify the currently running Hoverfly version using `hoverctl version` or checking the binary
- Download Hoverfly version 1.12.0 from the official GitHub releases page at https://github.com/SpectoLabs/hoverfly/releases
- Replace the existing Hoverfly binary with the version 1.12.0 binary
- Restart the Hoverfly service to apply the update
- Verify the upgrade was successful by running `hoverctl version` and confirming it shows 1.12.0
- If your workflows depend on the `/api/v2/hoverfly/middleware` endpoint, review the new security documentation to understand how to explicitly enable it with proper authentication and network isolation if absolutely required
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-54123 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-54123 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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