CVE-2025-8083: Vuetify Prototype Pollution DoS Vulnerability

CVE-2025-8083 Overview

CVE-2025-8083 is a Prototype Pollution vulnerability affecting the Preset configuration feature in Vuetify, a popular Vue.js UI component framework. The vulnerability exists due to unsafe object merging in the internal mergeDeep utility function used to combine user-provided preset options with default configurations. An attacker can exploit this flaw by crafting a malicious preset that pollutes the JavaScript Object prototype, potentially affecting all objects within the application.

This vulnerability is particularly dangerous in Server-Side Rendering (SSR) environments where the prototype pollution can affect the entire server process, impacting all users and requests handled by that server instance.

Critical Impact

Prototype Pollution can lead to denial of service, unauthorized data access, or remote code execution depending on how the polluted properties are consumed by the application. SSR deployments face elevated risk as a single exploit can compromise the entire server process.

Affected Products

• Vuetify versions >= 2.2.0-beta.2 and < 3.0.0-alpha.10
• Applications using Vuetify Preset configuration feature
• Server-Side Rendering (SSR) applications using affected Vuetify versions

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-12-12 - CVE-2025-8083 published to NVD
• 2026-04-15 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-8083

Vulnerability Analysis

The Prototype Pollution vulnerability in CVE-2025-8083 stems from the mergeDeep utility function within Vuetify's preset configuration system. This function recursively merges objects without properly validating or sanitizing special properties like __proto__, constructor, or prototype. When processing user-controllable preset configurations, the function allows an attacker to inject properties into Object.prototype, which then propagate to all JavaScript objects in the application.

The preset feature is designed to allow developers to customize Vuetify's default options by passing configuration objects. However, the lack of prototype pollution protections in the merging logic creates a pathway for attackers to inject malicious properties that persist beyond the intended scope.

Root Cause

The root cause is the absence of prototype pollution safeguards in the mergeDeep function. When iterating over object keys during the deep merge operation, the function does not filter out dangerous properties such as __proto__ or constructor.prototype. This allows specially crafted input objects to modify the base Object prototype, affecting all subsequently created or existing objects.

CWE-1321 (Improperly Controlled Modification of Object Prototype Attributes) directly applies, as the application fails to properly validate and sanitize object keys before performing recursive property assignment.

Attack Vector

The attack is network-accessible and requires no authentication or user interaction. An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by supplying a malicious preset configuration containing prototype pollution payloads. When Vuetify processes this preset through the mergeDeep function, the payload properties are written to Object.prototype.

The vulnerability mechanism involves crafting nested object structures where keys like __proto__ contain attacker-controlled values. When the merge function processes these structures recursively, it inadvertently assigns values to the object prototype chain rather than the intended target object. This can result in denial of service through resource exhaustion, unauthorized access to data through injected properties, or application logic bypass depending on how the polluted properties are consumed downstream.

For technical details and a demonstration, see the CodePen Project Example and the HeroDevs CVE-2025-8083 advisory.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-8083

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected properties appearing on standard JavaScript objects that were not explicitly defined
• Application behavior changes indicating polluted prototype properties affecting conditionals or data access
• Server crashes or resource exhaustion in SSR environments following preset configuration changes
• Log entries showing unusual object property access patterns or undefined behavior

Detection Strategies

• Implement runtime monitoring to detect modifications to Object.prototype or Object.constructor.prototype
• Review application logs for anomalous behavior patterns that could indicate prototype pollution exploitation
• Audit preset configuration inputs for suspicious keys such as __proto__, constructor, or prototype
• Deploy static analysis tools to identify unsafe deep merge patterns in codebase dependencies

Monitoring Recommendations

• Monitor for unexpected application crashes or hangs in SSR environments that could indicate DoS via prototype pollution
• Implement integrity checks on critical object properties to detect pollution
• Track Vuetify dependency versions across your application portfolio to identify vulnerable deployments
• Set up alerts for unusual memory consumption patterns that may indicate resource exhaustion attacks

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-8083

Immediate Actions Required

• Upgrade to Vuetify version 3.0.0-alpha.10 or later which addresses this vulnerability
• If using Vuetify 2.x, migrate to version 3.x as version 2.x is End-of-Life and will not receive security patches
• Audit all preset configurations for potentially malicious input sources
• Implement input validation to filter dangerous prototype pollution keys before passing to Vuetify

Patch Information

Vuetify version 3.0.0-alpha.10 and later versions contain fixes for this vulnerability. Note that Vuetify 2.x has reached End-of-Life status and will not receive security updates. Organizations using Vuetify 2.x should prioritize migration to version 3.x or consider commercial support options from HeroDevs for continued security maintenance.

Workarounds

• Implement a custom sanitization layer that filters __proto__, constructor, and prototype keys from preset objects before passing them to Vuetify
• Use Object.freeze(Object.prototype) in non-production environments to detect prototype pollution attempts during testing
• Consider using a safe deep merge library that includes built-in prototype pollution protections
• Isolate SSR processes using containerization to limit the blast radius of potential exploitation

# Example: Check your current Vuetify version
npm list vuetify

# Upgrade to a patched version
npm install vuetify@^3.0.0

# For yarn users
yarn add vuetify@^3.0.0