CVE-2025-62522 is a path traversal vulnerability classified under CWE-22 found in the Vite frontend tooling framework for JavaScript. This vulnerability affects multiple version ranges of Vite, specifically from 2.9.18 up to but not including 3.0.0, 3.2.9 up to 4.0.0, 4.5.3 up to 5.0.0, 5.2.6 up to 5.4.21, 6.0.0 up to 6.4.1, 7.0.0 up to 7.0.8, and 7.1.0 up to 7.1.11. The issue arises when the Vite development server is running on Windows and is explicitly exposed to the network. In this scenario, if a URL ends with a backslash (\), the server improperly bypasses the server.fs.deny configuration, which is intended to restrict access to certain files or directories. Consequently, files that should be denied can be served to an attacker. The vulnerability exploits improper limitation of pathname to a restricted directory, allowing directory traversal beyond intended boundaries. Exploitation requires no authentication but does require user interaction to send a crafted URL. The vulnerability does not affect production builds or servers not exposed externally. The issue has been addressed in patched versions 5.4.21, 6.4.1, 7.0.8, and 7.1.11. No known exploits have been reported in the wild as of the publication date. The CVSS v4.0 base score is 6.0, reflecting network attack vector, low attack complexity, no privileges required, user interaction required, and high impact on confidentiality.

For European organizations, the primary impact of CVE-2025-62522 lies in the potential unauthorized disclosure of sensitive files during development phases when the Vite dev server is exposed externally on Windows machines. This could lead to leakage of source code, configuration files, environment variables, or other sensitive data that may reside in restricted directories. Such information disclosure can facilitate further attacks, including credential theft, intellectual property loss, or supply chain compromise. While the vulnerability does not directly affect production environments, many organizations use Vite in local or staging environments that may be inadvertently exposed due to misconfiguration or developer practices. The impact is heightened in organizations with remote or hybrid development teams that expose dev servers to the network for collaboration. Given the widespread adoption of Vite in frontend development across Europe, especially in technology hubs and enterprises with modern web stacks, the risk is non-negligible. However, the requirement for Windows-based dev servers and explicit network exposure limits the scope somewhat. Still, failure to patch could result in data breaches and compliance violations under GDPR if personal or sensitive data is exposed.

European organizations should take the following specific mitigation steps: 1) Immediately upgrade all Vite instances to the patched versions 5.4.21, 6.4.1, 7.0.8, or 7.1.11 depending on their current version. 2) Audit development environments to ensure that Vite dev servers are not unnecessarily exposed to external networks, especially on Windows hosts. 3) Implement network segmentation and firewall rules to restrict access to development servers to trusted internal IPs only. 4) Educate developers about the risks of exposing dev servers and enforce policies to avoid such exposure. 5) Review server.fs.deny configurations and verify that access controls are correctly enforced post-patch. 6) Monitor network traffic and logs for suspicious requests with trailing backslashes or unusual URL patterns targeting dev servers. 7) Consider using containerized or virtualized development environments with limited network exposure. 8) Integrate vulnerability scanning into CI/CD pipelines to detect usage of vulnerable Vite versions. These measures go beyond generic advice by focusing on environment hardening, developer awareness, and proactive monitoring specific to this vulnerability's exploitation vector.