A high-severity vulnerability has been discovered in the widely used 'node-forge' JavaScript cryptography library, enabling attackers to bypass digital signature verification. Tracked as CVE-2025-12816, the flaw exists in the library's ASN.1 validation component, which can be tricked into accepting malformed data as cryptographically valid. This creates a "semantic divergence" where the validation logic becomes desynchronized, allowing improperly signed data to pass security checks.
The vulnerability impacts node-forge versions 1.3.1 and earlier, putting countless applications at risk. The library is extremely popular, with nearly 26 million weekly downloads from the npm registry, and is used for implementing various cryptographic and public-key infrastructure functions. A successful exploit could lead to severe consequences, including authentication bypasses and unauthorized data tampering.
The flaw was responsibly disclosed by a security researcher, and a patch has been released in version 1.3.2. Developers are urged to upgrade immediately, especially in environments where cryptographic verification is critical for establishing trust. However, given the complexity of software supply chains, it may take significant time for the fix to be universally adopted, leaving many systems vulnerable.
Read more...