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Node.jsApplication

CVE-2025-55130

CRITICAL · 9.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-01-20
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 20.20.0 / 22.22.0 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges 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 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.

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 confidence

Node.js's permission model fails to properly validate relative symlink paths when --allow-fs-read or --allow-fs-write restrictions are applied. Attackers can chain directories and symlinks to escape the intended path isolation and access arbitrary files outside the allowed scope, breaking the security boundaries of the permission model.

MitigationUpgrade Node.js to patched versions once available; for interim protection, avoid granting filesystem permissions to untrusted code and consider additional sandboxing layers such as containers or VMs.

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:>= 20.0.0, < 20.20.0>= 22.0.0, < 22.22.0>= 24.0.0, < 24.13.0>= 25.0.0, < 25.3.0

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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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. Determine installed Node.js version
    Run `node --version` to get the version number (e.g., v20.19.0)
    Affected if The version falls within >= 20.0.0 and < 20.20.0, OR >= 22.0.0 and < 22.22.0, OR >= 24.0.0 and < 24.13.0, OR >= 25.0.0 and < 25.3.0
  2. Verify permission model is in use
    Check if the Node.js process was launched with --allow-fs-read or --allow-fs-write flags. Review command line arguments, startup scripts, or process documentation.
    Affected if The Node.js process uses the permission model with --allow-fs-read or --allow-fs-write restrictions to limit filesystem access
  3. Identify allowed directories
    Review the paths specified with --allow-fs-read or --allow-fs-write flags. These are the directories the permission model intends to restrict access to.
    Affected if Allowed directories are defined and the attacker could potentially access paths outside them
  4. Inspect for symlinks in allowed paths
    Use `find <allowed_dir> -type l -ls` to list all symbolic links within allowed directories. Also check parent directories that could be chained.
    Affected if Symbolic links exist within allowed directories that could be chained to point to directories outside the allowed path scope (e.g., symlinks using relative paths like ../../../etc)

You are affected if your Node.js version is in one of the affected ranges AND you use the permission model with --allow-fs-read or --allow-fs-write restrictions, AND your allowed directories contain or could be reached via symlinks that could escape the intended boundary.

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 20.20.0 / 22.22.0 / 24.13.0 or later
Fixed in 20.20.022.22.024.13.0
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Node.js to patched versions once available; for interim protection, avoid granting filesystem permissions to untrusted code and consider additional sandboxing layers such as containers or VMs.

Recommended fix High confidence

Node.js 20.20.0+ (for 20.x users), 22.22.0+ (for 22.x users), 24.13.0+ (for 24.x users), or 25.3.0+ (for 25.x users)

  1. Identify the currently installed Node.js version using 'node --version'
  2. If running Node.js 20.x (20.0.0 - 20.19.x), upgrade to version 20.20.0 or later
  3. If running Node.js 22.x (22.0.0 - 22.21.x), upgrade to version 22.22.0 or later
  4. If running Node.js 24.x (24.0.0 - 24.12.x), upgrade to version 24.13.0 or later
  5. If running Node.js 25.x (25.0.0 - 25.2.x), upgrade to version 25.3.0 or later
  6. Upgrade using your preferred package manager (nvm, npm, or direct download from nodejs.org)
  7. Verify the new version is active: 'node --version'
  8. Test that your permission-based scripts still function correctly with the new Node.js version
Caveat Minor release upgrades typically have no breaking changes; however, always review the Node.js release notes for any behavior changes that might affect your application

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

Fix this in Node.js Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
13.0 hours of engineering $2,280
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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-2025-55130 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