CVE-2025-64757 is a path traversal vulnerability (CWE-22, CWE-23) affecting the Astro web framework's development server versions prior to 5.14.3. Astro is a modern web framework that includes an image optimization endpoint to process images during development. Due to improper limitation of pathname inputs, an attacker can craft requests to the image optimization endpoint that traverse directories and access arbitrary local files readable by the Node.js process. This vulnerability allows remote attackers to read sensitive files on the host system, potentially exposing configuration files, source code, or other sensitive data. Exploitation requires remote access to the development server and user interaction, but no authentication is needed. The vulnerability does not impact the integrity or availability of the system. The issue was patched in version 5.14.3 by properly restricting pathname inputs to prevent directory traversal. No known exploits have been reported in the wild, and the CVSS v3.1 base score is 3.5, reflecting low severity primarily due to limited impact and exploitation complexity.

For European organizations, the primary impact of this vulnerability lies in potential unauthorized disclosure of sensitive local files on development machines running vulnerable Astro versions. While the vulnerability affects development environments rather than production, leaked files could include proprietary source code, credentials, or configuration data, which could facilitate further attacks or intellectual property theft. Organizations with remote or distributed development teams using Astro prior to 5.14.3 are at risk if their development servers are exposed to untrusted networks. The confidentiality breach could lead to compliance issues under GDPR if personal data is exposed. However, since the vulnerability does not affect production environments directly and requires user interaction, the overall operational impact is limited. Still, the risk to intellectual property and sensitive development data is non-negligible, especially for software companies and digital agencies in Europe.

European organizations should immediately upgrade all Astro development environments to version 5.14.3 or later to apply the official patch that restricts pathname inputs and prevents directory traversal. Additionally, development servers should be configured to restrict network exposure, ideally limiting access to localhost or trusted internal networks only. Implement network-level controls such as VPNs or firewalls to prevent unauthorized remote access to development servers. Conduct audits of development environments to identify any exposure of sensitive files and review access logs for suspicious activity. Educate developers about the risks of exposing development servers publicly and enforce secure development environment practices. If upgrading is not immediately possible, consider disabling the image optimization endpoint or restricting its access via authentication or IP whitelisting as a temporary workaround.