high CVSS 7.5

CVE-2025-59464·Node.js vulnerability

A memory leak in Node.js’s OpenSSL integration occurs when converting `X.509` certificate fields to UTF-8 without freeing the allocated buffer. When applications call `socket.getPeerCertificate(true)`, each certificate field leaks memory, allowing remote clients to trigger steady memory growth through repeated TLS connections. Over time this can lead to resource exhaustion and denial of service.

Severity
high
Software
Node.js
Fixed in
24.12.0
Published
2026-01-20

Affected versions

From: 24.0.0

Until: 24.12.0

Fixed in: 24.12.0

How to fix this CVE

Update Node.js to version 24.12.0 or later to patch a memory leak in the OpenSSL certificate handling code. This vulnerability allows remote attackers to exhaust server memory through repeated TLS connections that trigger certificate field parsing. Applications using `socket.getPeerCertificate(true)` are particularly at risk and should be prioritized for immediate patching.

sudo dnf update nodejs -y

Defensia detects this vulnerability

How to check if you are affected

  1. Run `node --version` to check your current Node.js version. If it reports 24.0.0 through 24.11.x, your system is vulnerable.
  2. Search your application code for calls to `socket.getPeerCertificate(true)` or similar certificate extraction methods in TLS connection handlers.
  3. Monitor memory usage with `watch -n 5 'free -h'` while running TLS workloads; steady memory growth without corresponding process activity indicates the leak is active.
  4. After updating to 24.12.0+, verify with `node --version` and restart all Node.js services, then observe that memory usage remains stable under the same TLS load.

FAQ

What is CVE-2025-59464?

A memory leak in Node.js versions 24.0.0–24.11.x where OpenSSL certificate field conversions fail to release allocated buffers, causing progressive memory exhaustion when TLS peers present certificates.

Is CVE-2025-59464 being actively exploited?

No, this vulnerability is not listed on CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, and no public exploits are currently available, but the low barrier to trigger it (repeated TLS connections) makes preemptive patching advisable.

What versions of Node.js are affected by CVE-2025-59464?

Node.js versions 24.0.0 through 24.11.x are vulnerable; version 24.12.0 and later contain the fix.

How do I check if my server is vulnerable to CVE-2025-59464?

Run `node --version` and confirm the version is between 24.0.0 and 24.11.x. Additionally, check application logs for repeated certificate parsing operations paired with increasing RSS memory via `ps aux | grep node`.

Does Defensia detect CVE-2025-59464?

Yes — Defensia's CVE advisory scanner compares installed package versions against the NVD database. If Node.js is installed on a monitored server, CVE-2025-59464 will appear in your dashboard with remediation steps.

Related Node.js CVEs

CVE-2026-21636CVSS 10A flaw in Node.js's permission model allows Unix Domain Socket (UDS) connections to bypass network restrictions when `--permission` is enabled. Even without `--allow-net`, attacker-controlled inputs (such as URLs or socketPath options) can connect to arbitrary local sockets via net, tls, or undici/fetch. This breaks the intended security boundary of the permission model and enables access to privileged local services, potentially leading to privilege escalation, data exposure, or local code execution. * The issue affects users of the Node.js permission model on version v25. In the moment of this vulnerability, network permissions (`--allow-net`) are still in the experimental phase.
CVE-2025-55130CVSS 9.1A flaw in Node.js’s Permissions model allows attackers to bypass `--allow-fs-read` and `--allow-fs-write` restrictions using crafted relative symlink paths. By chaining directories and symlinks, a script granted access only to the current directory can escape the allowed path and read sensitive files. This breaks the expected isolation guarantees and enables arbitrary file read/write, leading to potential system compromise. This vulnerability affects users of the permission model on Node.js v20, v22, v24, and v25.
CVE-2025-59465CVSS 7.5A malformed `HTTP/2 HEADERS` frame with oversized, invalid `HPACK` data can cause Node.js to crash by triggering an unhandled `TLSSocket` error `ECONNRESET`. Instead of safely closing the connection, the process crashes, enabling a remote denial of service. This primarily affects applications that do not attach explicit error handlers to secure sockets, for example: ``` server.on('secureConnection', socket => { socket.on('error', err => { console.log(err) }) }) ```
CVE-2025-59466CVSS 7.5We have identified a bug in Node.js error handling where "Maximum call stack size exceeded" errors become uncatchable when `async_hooks.createHook()` is enabled. Instead of reaching `process.on('uncaughtException')`, the process terminates, making the crash unrecoverable. Applications that rely on `AsyncLocalStorage` (v22, v20) or `async_hooks.createHook()` (v24, v22, v20) become vulnerable to denial-of-service crashes triggered by deep recursion under specific conditions.
CVE-2026-21637CVSS 7.5A flaw in Node.js TLS error handling allows remote attackers to crash or exhaust resources of a TLS server when `pskCallback` or `ALPNCallback` are in use. Synchronous exceptions thrown during these callbacks bypass standard TLS error handling paths (tlsClientError and error), causing either immediate process termination or silent file descriptor leaks that eventually lead to denial of service. Because these callbacks process attacker-controlled input during the TLS handshake, a remote client can repeatedly trigger the issue. This vulnerability affects TLS servers using PSK or ALPN callbacks across Node.js versions where these callbacks throw without being safely wrapped.

References

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