# CVE-2025-23084: Path traversal in Node

> Node.js mishandles Windows drive names in path.join, allowing attackers to access root directories instead of relative paths.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.6 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 28 Jan 2025
- **Updated:** 4 Nov 2025
- **Also known as:** ALPINE-CVE-2025-23084, BIT-node-2025-23084, BIT-node-min-2025-23084, GHSA-37v4-cwgp-x353, MINI-6hrr-wcqg-3rxq, MINI-7m2g-ph5q-w459, MINI-q8p6-c6c8-f779, MINI-r2wp-5p9c-5gf2, MINI-v7fq-53rw-phv7

## What is CVE-2025-23084?

CVE-2025-23084 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in Nodejs Node.js, published on 28 Jan 2025. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

A vulnerability has been identified in Node.js, specifically affecting the handling of drive names in the Windows environment. Certain Node.js functions do not treat drive names as special on Windows. As a result, although Node.js assumes a relative path, it actually refers to the root directory.

On Windows, a path that does not start with the file separator is treated as relative to the current directory. 

This vulnerability affects Windows users of `path.join` API.

Weakness: CWE-22 (Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-23084?

2 open source packages ship an affected version, including node and node-min. It affects 1 product.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `node` | Bitnami | All versions | 18.20.6, 20.18.2, 22.13.1, 23.8.0 |
| `node-min` | Bitnami | All versions | 18.20.6, 20.18.2, 22.13.1, 23.8.0 |

Products: Nodejs Node.js.

## How do I fix CVE-2025-23084?

Upgrade node to a fixed version for your release line: 18.20.6, 20.18.2, 22.13.1 or 23.8.0.

## Is CVE-2025-23084 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-23084 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Nodejs Node.js

- [CVE-2023-32002](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-32002/): Security feature bypass in Node (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2016-6303](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-6303/): Integer overflow in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2017-15896](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-15896/): Security feature bypass in Node.js (critical 9.1)
- [CVE-2018-7160](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-7160/): Server-side request forgery in Node.js (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2018-12120](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-12120/): Misconfiguration in Node.js (high 8.1)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2025-23084 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-23084 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in Nodejs Node.js, published on 28 Jan 2025. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-23084 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected packages and fixed versions:
- node (Bitnami): affected all versions; fixed in 18.20.6, 20.18.2, 22.13.1, 23.8.0
- node-min (Bitnami): affected all versions; fixed in 18.20.6, 20.18.2, 22.13.1, 23.8.0

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-23084/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-23084/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-23084
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-23084
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-23084

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-23084/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.