Vulnerability in Node.js Node

CVE-2025-23165

In Node.js, the `ReadFileUtf8` internal binding leaks memory due to a corrupted pointer in `uv_fs_s.file`: a UTF-16 path buffer is allocated but subsequently overwritten when the file descriptor is set. This results in an unrecoverable memory leak on every call. Repeated use can cause unbounded memory growth, leading to a denial of service. Impact: * This vulnerability affects APIs relying on `ReadFileUtf8` on Node.js release lines: v20 and v22.

Published · last modified .

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 3.7 (Low). Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L.

EPSS exploit prediction

EPSS: 0.006 (44.0th percentile), scored .

Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 44th percentile — 44.0% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.

EPSS trend (30 days)EPSS over the last 30 days for CVE-2025-23165: held from 0.006 to 0.006.

EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.006 · newest: 0.006 · change: 0.000

Affected products

Weakness classification (CWE)

Public proof-of-concept exploits

References

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2025-23165?
CVE-2025-23165 is a low-severity vulnerability in Node.js Node, classified under Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime. CVSS score: 3.7/10. Published 2025-05-19.
How severe is CVE-2025-23165?
Low severity. CVSS v3 base score is 3.7 out of 10.
Is CVE-2025-23165 known to be exploited?
4 public proof-of-concept repositories are indexed. Not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.