CVE-2025-70045: Jxcore Jxm Certificate Validation Flaw

CVE-2025-70045 Overview

CVE-2025-70045 is an Improper Certificate Validation vulnerability (CWE-295) discovered in the jxcore jxm library. The application disables TLS/SSL certificate validation by setting rejectUnauthorized: false in HTTPS request options when jx_obj.IsSecure is true. This insecure configuration bypasses certificate chain verification, enabling potential man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks against applications using this library.

Critical Impact

Applications using jxcore jxm are vulnerable to man-in-the-middle attacks due to disabled TLS certificate validation, allowing attackers to intercept, modify, or inject malicious content into encrypted communications.

Affected Products

• jxcore jxm (master branch)

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-02-23 - CVE CVE-2025-70045 published to NVD
• 2026-02-26 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-70045

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability stems from a fundamental misconfiguration in how the jxcore jxm library handles TLS/SSL connections. When the jx_obj.IsSecure flag is set to true—indicating that the connection should be secure—the library paradoxically disables certificate validation by setting rejectUnauthorized: false in the HTTPS request options.

Certificate validation is a critical security control that ensures the identity of the remote server. When disabled, the application will accept any certificate presented by a server, including self-signed certificates, expired certificates, or certificates issued by untrusted Certificate Authorities. This creates a significant attack surface where a network-based attacker positioned between the client and server can present their own certificate and intercept all traffic.

The impact of successful exploitation includes the ability to capture sensitive data such as authentication credentials, API keys, and personal information transmitted over HTTPS. Attackers can also modify responses from legitimate servers, potentially injecting malicious code or manipulating application behavior.

Root Cause

The root cause is an insecure default configuration in the HTTPS request handling logic. The library incorrectly sets rejectUnauthorized: false when secure connections are requested via the jx_obj.IsSecure parameter, effectively negating the security guarantees of TLS/SSL. This appears to be either a development-time setting that was inadvertently left in production code, or a misunderstanding of the Node.js HTTPS options.

Attack Vector

The vulnerability requires network-level access to perform exploitation. An attacker must be positioned to intercept network traffic between the vulnerable application and its intended server destination. Common attack scenarios include:

The attacker operates on the same network segment as the victim (e.g., public Wi-Fi networks, compromised corporate networks, or malicious network infrastructure). The attacker uses ARP spoofing, DNS spoofing, or BGP hijacking to redirect traffic through their controlled system. Once in position, the attacker presents their own certificate to the client application, which accepts it due to the disabled validation, establishing a man-in-the-middle position.

Technical details and proof-of-concept code are available in the GitHub Gist PoC published by the security researcher.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-70045

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected certificate warnings or errors being suppressed in application logs
• Network traffic analysis revealing TLS connections with untrusted or suspicious certificates
• Anomalous certificate chains in captured TLS handshakes that don't match expected server certificates
• Detection of ARP spoofing or DNS poisoning activity on the network

Detection Strategies

• Implement network monitoring to detect TLS connections using untrusted or self-signed certificates
• Deploy static code analysis tools to identify instances of rejectUnauthorized: false in Node.js applications
• Use dependency scanning to identify applications using the vulnerable jxcore jxm library
• Monitor for unusual network traffic patterns indicative of man-in-the-middle attacks

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable verbose TLS logging in applications to track certificate validation events
• Implement certificate pinning monitoring to detect when expected certificates are not presented
• Deploy network intrusion detection systems (NIDS) with rules for detecting certificate anomalies
• Regularly audit application dependencies for known vulnerabilities using software composition analysis

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-70045

Immediate Actions Required

• Audit your codebase for usage of the jxcore jxm library and assess exposure
• If using jxcore jxm, immediately patch the code to set rejectUnauthorized: true or remove the explicit false setting
• Consider migrating to a maintained and secure alternative library for HTTPS communications
• Implement certificate pinning as an additional layer of security

Patch Information

No official vendor patch has been released at the time of this publication. The jxcore project appears to be unmaintained. Users should manually remediate the vulnerability by modifying the HTTPS request options or migrating to alternative libraries. For reference, the affected codebase can be reviewed at the jxcore jxm GitHub repository.

Workarounds

• Manually override the HTTPS request options to ensure rejectUnauthorized is set to true
• Implement a wrapper function around jxm's HTTPS functionality that enforces proper certificate validation
• Use network-level controls such as VPNs or trusted network segments to reduce exposure to MITM attacks
• Deploy a local proxy or gateway that enforces certificate validation before traffic reaches the application

# Configuration example - Override in application code
# In your Node.js application, ensure HTTPS options enforce validation:
# const httpsOptions = {
#   rejectUnauthorized: true,
#   // Additional security: implement certificate pinning
#   checkServerIdentity: (host, cert) => {
#     // Validate certificate fingerprint
#   }
# };