CVE-2025-12613 is a vulnerability identified in the cloudinary package before version 2.7.0, stemming from improper parsing of parameter values that include ampersands ('&'). This parsing flaw enables an attacker to perform arbitrary argument injection by appending additional parameters that the application does not intend to accept or process. Such injection can lead to a range of malicious outcomes, including bypassing security checks, altering data payloads, or manipulating the application's behavior in unintended ways. The vulnerability is exploitable remotely over the network without requiring any authentication or user interaction, as indicated by the CVSS 4.0 vector (AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N). The impact on confidentiality is low, but the integrity impact is high, and availability impact is low, reflecting potential data manipulation and disruption risks. Despite attempts to contact the package maintainer, no response has been received, and no official patches or mitigations have been published at the time of disclosure. The vulnerability affects all versions prior to 2.7.0, which suggests that upgrading to 2.7.0 or later will resolve the issue. Cloudinary is widely used for media management in web applications, making this vulnerability relevant for many organizations that integrate cloudinary services into their platforms. The lack of known exploits in the wild provides a window for proactive mitigation before active exploitation occurs.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-12613 can be significant, particularly for those that rely on cloudinary for media asset management and delivery in their web applications or digital services. The arbitrary argument injection can allow attackers to bypass security mechanisms, potentially leading to unauthorized data manipulation or application behavior changes. This can result in data integrity issues, unauthorized access to sensitive media content, or disruption of service availability. Organizations in sectors such as e-commerce, digital media, publishing, and online services that heavily depend on cloudinary are at heightened risk. The vulnerability’s network-exploitable nature and lack of required authentication increase the attack surface, making it easier for threat actors to target vulnerable deployments remotely. Additionally, the absence of a patch at disclosure time means organizations must rely on interim mitigations, increasing the window of exposure. Regulatory compliance frameworks in Europe, such as GDPR, may also be impacted if data integrity or availability is compromised, leading to potential legal and financial consequences.

1. Upgrade to cloudinary version 2.7.0 or later as soon as it becomes available, as this version addresses the vulnerability. 2. Until an official patch is applied, implement strict input validation and sanitization on all parameters passed to cloudinary-related functions, specifically filtering or encoding ampersands and other special characters to prevent injection. 3. Employ web application firewalls (WAFs) with custom rules to detect and block suspicious parameter injection attempts targeting cloudinary endpoints. 4. Monitor application logs and network traffic for unusual parameter patterns or unexpected behavior that could indicate exploitation attempts. 5. Conduct security code reviews and penetration testing focused on parameter handling in cloudinary integrations. 6. Isolate cloudinary-related services where possible to limit the blast radius of a potential exploit. 7. Engage with cloudinary support or community channels to track patch releases and advisories. 8. Educate development and security teams about the risks of improper parameter parsing and injection vulnerabilities to prevent similar issues in future development.