CVE-2025-48996

An unauthenticated information disclosure vulnerability exists in the PSU deployment of HAX CMS via the haxPsuUsage API endpoint. This allows any remote unauthenticated user to retrieve a full list of PSU websites hosted on HAX CMS. When chained with other authorization issues (e.g., HAX-3), this could assist in targeted attacks such as unauthorized content modification or deletion.

Details

The endpoint https://open-apis.hax.cloud/api/services/stats/haxPsuUsage returns a list of websites on the PSU instance of HAX CMS. This endpoint is exposed without any authentication or authorization checks.

The source of the issue is in the haxPsuUsage.js file, which appears to directly serve the site listing without verifying user identity or access level. This enables anyone with the endpoint URL to enumerate all site instances under the PSU deployment.

This endpoint may have originally been used for internal or statistical purposes but is now publicly accessible, representing a privacy and enumeration risk.

PoC

To reproduce this vulnerability:

1. Open a terminal or browser.
2. Send a GET request to the following endpoint:

   curl https://open-apis.hax.cloud/api/services/stats/haxPsuUsage
   

Impact

The haxPsuUsage endpoint exposes a full list of PSU HAX CMS websites to any unauthenticated user, allowing external actors to enumerate all sites under the PSU domain. This alone represents an information disclosure vulnerability.

When chained with the Lack Of Authorization Checks CVE, which involves missing authorization checks on key API endpoints, the risk escalates significantly. An authenticated attacker can:

• Modify or delete other users' sites via:
  • createNode(), saveNode(), deleteNode()
• Access sensitive metadata or credentials:
  • getConfig(), downloadSite()
• Clone or remove entire sites:
  • cloneSite(), deleteSite(), archiveSite()

Combined, these issues allow a low-privileged user to fully compromise any site in the PSU HAX CMS instance.

This vulnerability chain puts content integrity, availability, and confidentiality at risk for potentially hundreds of PSU academic, instructional, and departmental sites.

CVE-2025-48996 has a CVSS score of 5.3 (Medium). The vector is network-reachable, no privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. No fixed version is listed yet, so configuration controls and monitoring matter more in the interim.

Kodem intelligence

1. What is CVE-2025-48996? CVE-2025-48996 is a medium-severity security vulnerability in @haxtheweb/open-apis (npm), affecting versions <= 10.0.1. No fixed version is listed yet.
2. How severe is CVE-2025-48996? CVE-2025-48996 has a CVSS score of 5.3 (Medium). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
3. Which versions of @haxtheweb/open-apis are affected by CVE-2025-48996? @haxtheweb/open-apis (npm) versions <= 10.0.1 is affected.
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2025-48996? No fixed version is listed for CVE-2025-48996 yet. Monitor the advisory for updates and apply mitigations in the interim.
5. Is CVE-2025-48996 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2025-48996 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
6. What actually determines whether CVE-2025-48996 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.