Cyber Resilience

CVE-2026-42044

Axios 1.0.0 – 1.15.1

Public PoC
Published
24 April 2026
Modified
13 August 2026
Patch / advisory
View advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 6.5
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:H/A:N
EPSS Score 0.0059 45th percentile
Risk Priority 50 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2026-42044 is a medium-severity Improperly Controlled Modification of Dynamically-Determined Object Attributes (CWE-915) vulnerability in Axios Axios. Its CVSS base score is 6.5 (Medium).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploit Public-Facing Application (T1190); ranked at the 45th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.

The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to AC-3 (Access Enforcement) and AC-6 (Least Privilege) — see the control section below for these in your framework.

Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary

Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.

CVE-2026-42044 is a Prototype Pollution "Gadget" vulnerability in the Axios library, a promise-based HTTP client used in browser and Node.js environments. It affects versions from 1.0.0 up to but not including 1.15.2. The issue stems from the default transformResponse function in lib/defaults/index.js at line 124, which invokes JSON.parse(data, this.parseReviver) using the merged config object as 'this'. Since parseReviver is absent from Axios defaults, unvalidated by assertOptions, and unconstrained, a polluted Object.prototype.parseReviver can be executed for every key-value pair in JSON responses, enabling targeted modifications.

A remote unauthenticated attacker can exploit this if they first achieve Object.prototype pollution anywhere in the application's dependency tree, a condition reflected in the high attack complexity (CVSS 6.5: AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:H/A:N). Once polluted, the gadget allows surgical, undetectable alterations to all JSON API responses processed by Axios, such as privilege escalation, balance manipulation in financial apps, or authorization bypass, while leaving other response data intact.

The GitHub security advisory (GHSA-3w6x-2g7m-8v23) confirms the vulnerability and states it is fixed in Axios version 1.15.2. Security practitioners should upgrade to 1.15.2 or later and audit dependencies for prototype pollution risks (related to CWE-915 and CWE-1321).

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

A08:2025 Software or Data Integrity Failures

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

Axios is a promise based HTTP client for the browser and Node.js. From 1.0.0 to before 1.15.2, he Axios library is vulnerable to a Prototype Pollution "Gadget" attack that allows any Object.prototype pollution in the application's dependency tree to be…

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escalated into surgical, invisible modification of all JSON API responses — including privilege escalation, balance manipulation, and authorization bypass. The default transformResponse function at lib/defaults/index.js:124 calls JSON.parse(data, this.parseReviver), where this is the merged config object. Because parseReviver is not present in Axios defaults, not validated by assertOptions, and not subject to any constraints, a polluted Object.prototype.parseReviver function is called for every key-value pair in every JSON response, allowing the attacker to selectively modify individual values while leaving the rest of the response intact. This vulnerability is fixed in 1.15.2.

CWE(s)
CWE-915CWE-1321

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1190 Exploit Public-Facing Application Initial Access
Adversaries may attempt to exploit a weakness in an Internet-facing host or system to initially access a network.
attack.mitre.org →
T1059 Command and Scripting Interpreter Execution
Adversaries may abuse command and script interpreters to execute commands, scripts, or binaries.
attack.mitre.org →
T1068 Exploitation for Privilege Escalation Privilege Escalation
Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities in an attempt to elevate privileges.
attack.mitre.org →
T1098 Account Manipulation Persistence
Adversaries may manipulate accounts to maintain and/or elevate access to victim systems.
attack.mitre.org →
T1098.001 Additional Cloud Credentials Persistence
Adversaries may add adversary-controlled credentials to a cloud account to maintain persistent access to victim accounts and instances within the environment.
attack.mitre.org →
T1098.003 Additional Cloud Roles Persistence
An adversary may add additional roles or permissions to an adversary-controlled cloud account to maintain persistent access to a tenant.
attack.mitre.org →
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2026-42264Same product: Axios Axios
CVE-2026-42033Same product: Axios Axios
CVE-2026-44494Same product: Axios Axios
CVE-2026-42041Same product: Axios Axios
CVE-2026-44490Same product: Axios Axios
CVE-2026-40175Same product: Axios Axios
CVE-2026-42035Same product: Axios Axios
CVE-2026-44489Same product: Axios Axios
CVE-2026-42040Same product: Axios Axios
CVE-2026-25639Same product: Axios Axios

Affected Assets

axios
axios
1.0.0 — 1.15.1

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)

—

Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

—

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)

—

Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)
  • V15.3.6

Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI

AC-3 Access Enforcement good match

Enforces authorizations so that only permitted attributes may be modified on an object.

AC-6 Least Privilege good match

Limits the set of modifiable attributes a subject is authorized to touch.

SI-10 Information Input Validation good match

Validates incoming attribute names and values so that only explicitly allowed fields are accepted for update.

Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

PR.PS-06 mostly match
prevents

Secure SDLC practices directly require allow-listing of mutable object attributes and input validation to block mass-assignment flaws.

Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

A.8.28 Secure coding mostly match
prevents

Secure coding standards explicitly forbid unsafe dynamic attribute assignment and require property allow-lists.

A.8.29 Security testing in development and acceptance mostly match
finds

Security testing can detect mass-assignment flaws but does not itself prevent them at runtime.

A.8.25 Secure development life cycle partial match
prevents

Secure development lifecycle requires input validation and object-property whitelisting that directly mitigates mass-assignment risks.

A.8.26 Application security requirements partial match
prevents

Application security requirements include explicit rules for allowable object attributes and safe deserialization.

A.8.27 Secure system architecture and engineering principles partial match
prevents

Secure architecture principles mandate strict control over dynamic object modification and attribute binding.

A.8.3 Information access restriction partial match
prevents

Information access restriction limits who can modify objects but does not address which attributes may be changed.

References