CVE-2026-42036: Axios · HTTP adapter streamed responses bypass maxContentLength
Affects axiosSource GCVE Database
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 5.3 Medium : upgrade to 1.15.1 when convenient.
Data as of 27 Oct 2026, 00:07 UTC
- Patch
- Available – fixed in 1.15.1, 0.31.1
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:LExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 5 May 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors
A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 26 Oct 2026.
What to do
Upgrade axios to 1.15.1; axios to 0.31.1.
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| npmaxios | Affected
| Fixed in
|
| npmaxios | Affected
| Fixed in
|
Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.
Description
### Summary When responseType: 'stream' is used, Axios returns the response stream without enforcing maxContentLength. This bypasses configured response-size limits and allows unbounded downstream consumption. ### Details In lib/adapters/http.js: - 786-789: for responseType === 'stream', Axios immediately settles with the stream. - 797-810: maxContentLength enforcement exists only in the non-stream buffering branch. So callers may set maxContentLength and still receive/read arbitrarily large streamed responses. ### PoC Environment: - Axios main at commit f7a4ee2 - Node v24.2.0 Steps: 1. Start an HTTP server that returns a 2 MiB response body. 2. Call Axios with: - adapter: 'http' - responseType: 'stream' - maxContentLength: 1024 3. Read the returned stream fully. Observed: - Success; full 2097152 bytes readable. Control check: - Same endpoint with responseType: 'text' and same maxContentLength: rejected with maxContentLength size of 1024 exceeded. ### Impact Type: DoS / unbounded response processing. Impacted: Node.js applications relying on maxContentLength as a safety boundary while using streamed Axios responses.