CVE-2025-69873

ajv (Another JSON Schema Validator) before 8.18.0 is vulnerable to Regular Expression Denial of Service (ReDoS) when the $data option is enabled. The pattern keyword accepts runtime data via JSON Pointer syntax ($data reference), which is passed directly to the JavaScript RegExp() constructor without validation. An attacker can inject a malicious regex pattern (e.g., "^(a|a)*$") combined with crafted input to cause catastrophic backtracking. A 31-character payload causes approximately 44 seconds of CPU blocking, with each additional character doubling execution time. This enables complete denial of service with a single HTTP request against any API using ajv with $data: true for dynamic schema validation. This issue is also fixed in version 6.14.0.

Published: 2026-02-11 Last update: 2026-06-17 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]

Conclusion & alert: CVE-2025-69873 is rated Low Risk (23.3/100): CVSS Low severity, with low exploitation likelihood (EPSS 0.41%). Mandatory action: Monitor for updates and reassess as exploit intelligence or EPSS changes.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2025-69873

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2026-06-15 0.02% 0.41% +0.39%
2 2026-03-21 0.07% 0.02% -0.05%
3 2026-02-13 0.07%

Full EPSS history (4 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2025-69873

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
2.9 3.1 LOW
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:L)
They already need access on the box, or another person has to do something wrong; it’s not a remote drive-by.
Attack complexity (AC:H)
Even with access, the exploit needs extra luck, timing, or a fussy environment to actually work.
Privileges required (PR:N)
No account or special rights needed—anonymous or random user is enough.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:N)
Doesn’t really leak secrets in a meaningful way.
Integrity (I:N)
Data isn’t meaningfully altered or forged.
Availability (A:L)
Might cause slowdowns, glitches, or partial disruption—not a full brick.
1.4 1.4 [email protected]
7.5 3.1 HIGH
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:N)
No account or special rights needed—anonymous or random user is enough.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:N)
Doesn’t really leak secrets in a meaningful way.
Integrity (I:N)
Data isn’t meaningfully altered or forged.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
3.9 3.6 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2025-69873

GitHub Security Advisory for CVE-2025-69873

GHSA-2g4f-4pwh-qvx6 · Severity: medium · Ecosystem: npm — ajv has ReDoS when using `$data` option

OS Trackers for CVE-2025-69873

vendor priority summary link
debian not yet assigned CVE-2025-69873 not yet assigned priority: Debian including 1 source packages (node-ajv), 5 status rows across 5 suites (bookworm, bullseye, forky, sid, trixie): open 3, resolved 2. https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2025-69873
redhat high https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2025-69873
ubuntu medium CVE-2025-69873 medium priority: Ubuntu including 1 source packages (node-ajv), 6 status rows across 6 suites (bionic, focal, jammy, noble, questing, upstream): needs-triage 6. https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2025-69873

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2025-69873

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
ajv.js ajv < 6.14.0 cpe:2.3:a:ajv.js:ajv:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
ajv.js ajv >= 7.0.0, < 8.17.2 cpe:2.3:a:ajv.js:ajv:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2025-69873

cvelogic Threat Intelligence