CVE-2025-31125: Vitejs Vite Information Disclosure Flaw

CVE-2025-31125 Overview

CVE-2025-31125 is an Information Exposure vulnerability affecting Vite, a popular frontend tooling framework for JavaScript. The vulnerability allows attackers to access content of non-allowed files on the development server by abusing the ?inline&import or ?raw?import query parameters. This security flaw can lead to unauthorized disclosure of sensitive files that should be protected by Vite's file access controls.

Critical Impact

Attackers can bypass file access restrictions on network-exposed Vite development servers to read sensitive configuration files, environment variables, source code, and other protected content.

Affected Products

• Vite versions prior to 6.2.4
• Vite versions prior to 6.1.3
• Vite versions prior to 6.0.13
• Vite versions prior to 5.4.16
• Vite versions prior to 4.5.11

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-03-31 - CVE-2025-31125 published to NVD
• 2025-09-24 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-31125

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability stems from improper input validation in Vite's development server file handling mechanism. When the development server is exposed to the network (using --host or the server.host configuration option), attackers can craft malicious requests using special query parameters to bypass file access restrictions.

The vulnerability specifically affects how Vite processes the ?inline&import and ?raw?import query parameters. These parameters are intended for legitimate use cases in module bundling but can be abused to access files that should be protected by Vite's security controls. The attack requires network access to the development server, meaning applications running with default localhost-only configurations are not affected.

Root Cause

The root cause is an Information Exposure vulnerability (CWE-200) in Vite's file serving mechanism. The development server fails to properly validate and restrict file access when certain query parameter combinations are used. The ?inline&import and ?raw?import parameters bypass the normal file access control checks, allowing attackers to retrieve content from files that should not be accessible through the development server.

Attack Vector

The attack is network-based and can be executed without authentication or user interaction. An attacker with network access to a vulnerable Vite development server can craft HTTP requests with the malicious query parameters to read arbitrary files.

The attack flow involves:

1. Identifying a Vite development server exposed to the network
2. Crafting requests using ?inline&import or ?raw?import query parameters
3. Targeting sensitive files such as configuration files, environment files, or source code
4. Receiving the file contents in the HTTP response

Since no realCodeExamples are available, the specific exploitation technique involves appending the query parameters to file paths in HTTP requests to the development server. See the GitHub Security Advisory GHSA-4r4m-qw57-chr8 for detailed technical information.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-31125

Indicators of Compromise

• HTTP requests to the development server containing ?inline&import or ?raw?import query parameters
• Unusual access patterns to sensitive file paths such as .env, config.js, or other configuration files
• Access attempts to files outside the intended public directory structure
• Multiple requests from unknown IP addresses targeting file paths with query parameter combinations

Detection Strategies

• Monitor development server access logs for requests containing inline&import or raw?import query strings
• Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block requests with suspicious query parameter patterns
• Use intrusion detection systems (IDS) to alert on file access attempts using these specific query parameter combinations
• Review access logs for requests targeting sensitive configuration files like .env or package.json

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable verbose logging on Vite development servers exposed to the network
• Set up real-time alerting for requests matching the exploitation patterns
• Monitor for any unauthorized access to environment variables or configuration data
• Implement network segmentation to limit exposure of development servers

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-31125

Immediate Actions Required

• Update Vite to the latest patched version immediately (6.2.4, 6.1.3, 6.0.13, 5.4.16, or 4.5.11 depending on your major version)
• Avoid exposing Vite development servers to the network unless absolutely necessary
• Review server logs for any evidence of exploitation attempts
• Audit any potentially exposed sensitive files for signs of unauthorized access

Patch Information

Vitejs has released security patches addressing this vulnerability. The fix is available in the GitHub commit 59673137c45ac2bcfad1170d954347c1a17ab949. Organizations should upgrade to the following fixed versions:

• Version 6.2.4 for users on the 6.2.x branch
• Version 6.1.3 for users on the 6.1.x branch
• Version 6.0.13 for users on the 6.0.x branch
• Version 5.4.16 for users on the 5.4.x branch
• Version 4.5.11 for users on the 4.5.x branch

For detailed security advisory information, refer to GitHub Security Advisory GHSA-4r4m-qw57-chr8.

Workarounds

• Remove the --host flag or server.host configuration option to prevent network exposure of the development server
• Use a reverse proxy with strict access controls if network exposure is required
• Implement IP whitelisting to restrict access to known trusted addresses only
• Consider using SSH tunneling or VPN for remote development instead of exposing the server directly

# Configuration example
# Remove network exposure from vite.config.js
# Instead of:
# server: { host: '0.0.0.0' }
# Use default localhost-only configuration:
server: {
  host: 'localhost'
}

# Or use SSH tunnel for remote access
ssh -L 5173:localhost:5173 user@remote-server