CVE-2025-54127 is a critical security vulnerability affecting HAXcms with a NodeJS backend, specifically versions 11.0.6 and below. The vulnerability stems from an insecure default initialization configuration intended for local development environments. In these affected versions, the environment variable 'HAXCMS_DISABLE_JWT_CHECKS' is set to 'true' by default, which disables JSON Web Token (JWT) authentication and authorization checks. This means that if an organization deploys HAXcms without modifying this default setting, the system will not enforce session authentication, allowing any user to start the server and potentially gain unauthorized access to any HAXsite or HAXcms instance. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-1188, which relates to insecure default initialization of resources. The CVSS 4.0 base score is 9.3, indicating a critical severity level. The attack vector is network-based with no required privileges or user interaction, and the impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability is high. This vulnerability was fixed in version 11.0.7 of HAXcms by changing the default configuration to enforce authentication checks. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, but the ease of exploitation and the critical impact make this a significant threat to any deployment running the vulnerable versions without proper configuration changes.

For European organizations using HAXcms with NodeJS backend versions 11.0.6 or earlier, this vulnerability poses a severe risk. The lack of authentication enforcement can lead to unauthorized access to content management systems, allowing attackers to manipulate website content, inject malicious code, or disrupt service availability. This can result in data breaches, defacement, loss of customer trust, and potential regulatory non-compliance under GDPR due to unauthorized access to personal or sensitive data. Organizations relying on HAXcms for public-facing websites or internal portals may face reputational damage and operational disruptions. Given the critical severity and network accessibility, attackers could exploit this vulnerability remotely without authentication, increasing the risk of widespread compromise. The absence of known exploits in the wild currently provides a window for mitigation, but the threat remains imminent if patches are not applied promptly.

European organizations should immediately verify their HAXcms deployment versions and configurations. The primary mitigation is to upgrade HAXcms to version 11.0.7 or later, where the default configuration enforces JWT authentication checks. If upgrading is not immediately feasible, organizations must ensure that the environment variable 'HAXCMS_DISABLE_JWT_CHECKS' is explicitly set to 'false' to enable authentication. Additionally, restrict network access to HAXcms administrative interfaces using firewall rules or VPNs to limit exposure. Implement monitoring and logging to detect unauthorized access attempts. Conduct thorough audits of existing deployments to identify any unauthorized changes or access. Educate development and deployment teams about the risks of deploying development configurations in production environments. Finally, integrate configuration management and automated compliance checks to prevent insecure default settings from being deployed.