CVE-2025-46653: Formidable Formidable Relies On Hexoid To Vulnerability

LOW
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-75v8-2h7p-7m2m
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CVSS 3.1
CWE-338
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2025-46653 is a LOW (CVSS 3.1) formidable relies on hexoid to vulnerability (CWE-338: Use of Cryptographically Weak Pseudo-Random Number Generator (PRNG)) affecting Formidable libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves formidable relies on hexoid to prevent guessing of filenames for untrusted executable content. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 3.5.3, 2.1.3.

CVE-2025-46653 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2025-46653
GHSA Identifier GHSA-75v8-2h7p-7m2m
Severity LOW
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 3.1
CWE Classification CWE-338: Use of Cryptographically Weak Pseudo-Random Number Generator (PRNG)
Affected Product Formidable
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 3.1

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity High (AC:H)
Privileges Required Low (PR:L)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality None (C:N)
Integrity Low (I:L)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2025-46653

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Formidable dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

formidable fixed: 3.5.3 
npm install formidable@3.5.3
formidable fixed: 2.1.3 
npm install formidable@2.1.3
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

npm ls formidable

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2025-46653, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls formidable

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Formidable in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 3.5.3), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls formidable command inspects dependencies declared in your package.json and lockfile; it does not perform automated runtime dynamic scanning.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-338: Use of Cryptographically Weak Pseudo-Random Number Generator (PRNG), where the product uses a pseudo-random number generator (prng) in a security context, but the prng's algorithm is not cryptographically strong. In Formidable, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

Formidable (aka node-formidable) 2.x before 2.1.3 and 3.x before 3.5.3 relies on hexoid to prevent guessing of filenames for untrusted executable content; however, hexoid is documented as not "cryptographically secure." (Also, there is a scenario in which only the last two characters of a hexoid string need to be guessed, but this is not often relevant.) NOTE: this does not imply that, in a typical use case, attackers will be able to exploit any hexoid behavior to upload and execute their own content.

CVE-2025-46653 Affected Formidable Versions

2 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
3.5.32.1.3
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
formidable
npm/formidable
npm
≥ 3.1.1-canary.20211030
< 3.5.3
3.5.3
formidable
npm/formidable
npm
≥ 2.1.0
< 2.1.3
2.1.3

References

NVD — CVE-2025-46653 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-46653
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/node-formidable/formidable/commit/022c2c5577dfe14d2947f10909d81b03b6070bf5
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/node-formidable/formidable/commit/37a3e89fca1ed68ec674a539f13aafd62221ddaa
Formidable Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/node-formidable/formidable
Formidable Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/node-formidable/formidable/blob/d0fbec13edc8add54a1afb9ce1a8d3db803f8d47/CHANGELOG.md?plain=1#L10
Formidable Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/zast-ai/vulnerability-reports/blob/main/formidable/file_upload/report.md
www.npmjs.com/package/formidable/... WEB
https://www.npmjs.com/package/formidable/v/2.1.3
www.npmjs.com/package/formidable/... WEB
https://www.npmjs.com/package/formidable/v/3.5.3

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2025-46653?
CVE-2025-46653 is a security vulnerability in Formidable involving Formidable relies on hexoid to prevent guessing of filenames for untrusted executable content under CWE-338: Use of Cryptographically Weak Pseudo-Random Number Generator (PRNG).
Which Formidable versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 3.5.3, 2.1.3 across affected packages: formidable.
What version fixes CVE-2025-46653?
Upgrading to 3.5.3, 2.1.3 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is formidable affected?
Yes, formidable is affected in releases prior to 3.5.3, 2.1.3. Upgrade your dependency to 3.5.3, 2.1.3 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2025-46653?
CVE-2025-46653 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 3.1 (LOW) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2025-46653?
CVE-2025-46653 is classified under CWE-338: Use of Cryptographically Weak Pseudo-Random Number Generator (PRNG) (The product uses a Pseudo-Random Number Generator (PRNG) in a security context, but the PRNG's algorithm is not cryptographically strong.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2025-46653?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls formidable'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-75v8-2h7p-7m2m",
  "modified" : "2025-05-27T18:49:20Z",
  "published" : "2025-04-26T21:31:26Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2025-46653" ],
  "summary" : "Formidable relies on hexoid to prevent guessing of filenames for untrusted executable content",
  "details" : "Formidable (aka node-formidable) 2.x before 2.1.3 and 3.x before 3.5.3 relies on hexoid to prevent guessing of filenames for untrusted executable content; however, hexoid is documented as not \"cryptographically secure.\" (Also, there is a scenario in which only the last two characters of a hexoid string need to be guessed, but this is not often relevant.) NOTE: this does not imply that, in a typical use case, attackers will be able to exploit any hexoid behavior to upload and execute their own content.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "formidable"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "3.1.1-canary.20211030"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.5.3"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "formidable"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "2.1.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.1.3"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-46653"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/node-formidable/formidable/commit/022c2c5577dfe14d2947f10909d81b03b6070bf5"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/node-formidable/formidable/commit/37a3e89fca1ed68ec674a539f13aafd62221ddaa"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/node-formidable/formidable"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/node-formidable/formidable/blob/d0fbec13edc8add54a1afb9ce1a8d3db803f8d47/CHANGELOG.md?plain=1#L10"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/zast-ai/vulnerability-reports/blob/main/formidable/file_upload/report.md"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.npmjs.com/package/formidable/v/2.1.3"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.npmjs.com/package/formidable/v/3.5.3"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-338" ],
    "severity" : "LOW",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2025-04-29T14:07:17Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2025-04-26T21:15:14Z"
  }
}