VulnerabilityPublished 22 Jul 2025

CVE-2025-54137: haxtheweb issues · Use of Default Credentials

Affects haxtheweb issuesSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.3 High : upgrade to 11.0.10 soon.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 14:05 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

7.3High

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 0.3% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 33% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in 11.0.10

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: Low
Integrity: Low
Availability: Low

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Network: The vulnerable component is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed, up to and including the entire Internet. Such a vulnerability is often termed 'remotely exploitable' and can be thought of as an attack being exploitable at the protocol level one or more network hops away (e.g., across one or more routers).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: None: The attacker is unauthorized prior to attack, and therefore does not require any access to settings or files to carry out an attack.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: Low: There is some loss of confidentiality. Access to some restricted information is obtained, but the attacker does not have control over what information is obtained, or the amount or kind of loss is limited. The information disclosure does not cause a direct, serious loss to the impacted component.
Integrity: Low: Modification of data is possible, but the attacker does not have control over the consequence of a modification, or the amount of modification is limited. The data modification does not have a direct, serious impact on the impacted component.
Availability: Low: Performance is reduced or there are interruptions in resource availability. Even if repeated exploitation of the vulnerability is possible, the attacker does not have the ability to completely deny service to legitimate users. The resources in the impacted component are either partially available all of the time, or fully available only some of the time, but overall there is no direct, serious consequence to the impacted component.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 22 Jul 2025
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.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC or the CVSS exploit maturity reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Upgrade haxtheweb/issues to 11.0.10.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
GitHubhaxtheweb/issues`pkg:github/haxtheweb/issues`Other threats	Affected <11.0.10	Fixed in 11.0.10

Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.

AI-suggested

European organizations should immediately upgrade all haxtheweb HAX CMS NodeJS instances to version 11.0.10 or later, where the default credentials and JWT keys issue is resolved. For existing deployments, administrators must verify that no instances remain running with default credentials or unmodified JWT keys. If upgrading is not immediately feasible, organizations should manually change credentials and JWT secrets by directly modifying configuration files or environment variables, even if this requires custom intervention beyond the UI. Network-level protections such as firewall rules should restrict access to the management interfaces of these microsites to trusted IP ranges only. Continuous monitoring and auditing of access logs should be implemented to detect unauthorized login attempts or suspicious activities. Organizations should also scan their public GitHub repositories and internal codebases to ensure no default credentials or private keys are inadvertently exposed. Finally, security awareness training should emphasize the risks of default credentials and the importance of secure configuration management to prevent similar issues.

Description

HAX CMS NodeJS allows users to manage their microsite universe with a NodeJS backend. Versions 11.0.9 and below were distributed with hardcoded default credentials for the user and superuser accounts. Additionally, the application has default private keys for JWTs. Users aren't prompted to change credentials or secrets during installation, and there is no way to change them through the UI. An unauthenticated attacker can read the default user credentials and JWT private keys from the public haxtheweb GitHub repositories. These credentials and keys can be used to access unconfigured self-hosted instances of the application, modify sites, and perform further attacks. This is fixed in version 11.0.10.

Impact

For European organizations using haxtheweb's HAX CMS NodeJS backend, this vulnerability poses a substantial risk. Unauthorized access to unconfigured instances can lead to content tampering, defacement, or insertion of malicious code, potentially damaging brand reputation and user trust. Attackers could leverage compromised microsites as footholds for lateral movement within internal networks or to distribute malware to visitors. Confidential information managed via these microsites could be exposed or altered, impacting data integrity and confidentiality. Given the lack of authentication barriers and the public availability of credentials, even low-skilled attackers can exploit this vulnerability remotely. This risk is amplified in sectors where microsites are used for critical communications or customer interactions, such as government, finance, or healthcare organizations in Europe. Additionally, compromised microsites could be used to conduct phishing or social engineering campaigns targeting European users, increasing the threat landscape. The vulnerability's network-based attack vector and no requirement for user interaction mean that automated scanning and exploitation tools could rapidly identify and compromise vulnerable instances, leading to widespread impact if not mitigated promptly.

CWE-1392Use of Default Credentials (opens in a new tab)
Base weaknessOWASP Top 10 A07:2025: Authentication Failures (opens in a new tab)
The product uses default credentials (such as passwords or cryptographic keys) for potentially critical functionality.
Requirements
Prohibit use of default, hard-coded, or other values that do not vary for each installation of the product - especially for separate organizations.
Architecture and Design
Force the administrator to change the credential upon installation.
Installation · Operation
The product administrator could change the defaults upon installation or during operation.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
OWASP Authentication (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V2.8.5 (opens in a new tab)
V2.8.4 (opens in a new tab)
V9.2.3 (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

Community reviews

Loading reviews…

Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 30 Jul 2025, 01:32 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-1392

Technical details

References

Community reviews

Related threats