CVE-2025-69202

axios-cache-interceptor Vulnerable to Cache Poisoning via Ignored HTTP Vary Header

const http = require('node:http');
const axios = require('axios');
const { setupCache } = require('axios-cache-interceptor');

// Server that returns different responses based on Authorization
const server = http.createServer((req, res) => {
  const auth = req.headers.authorization;

  res.setHeader('Vary', 'Authorization');

  if (auth === 'Bearer 123') {
    res.write('Hello, user 123!');
  } else if (auth === 'Bearer 456') {
    res.write('Hello, user 456!');
  } else {
    res.write('Unknown');
  }

  res.end();
});

server.listen(5000);

// Client making requests with different tokens
const cachedAxios = setupCache(axios.create());

const server2 = http.createServer(async (_req, res) => {
  const authHeader =
    Math.random() < 0.5 ? 'Bearer 123' : 'Bearer 456';

  const response = await cachedAxios.get('http://localhost:5000', {
    headers: { Authorization: authHeader }
  });

  console.log({
    response: response.data,
    cached: response.cached,
    auth: authHeader
  });
  res.write(response.data);
  res.end();
});

server2.listen(5001);

// Trigger 10 requests
Promise.all(
  Array.from({ length: 10 }, () =>
    axios.get('http://localhost:5001').catch(console.error)
  )
).finally(() => {
  server.close();
  server2.close();
});

Affected: Server-side applications (APIs, proxies, backend services) that:

• Use axios-cache-interceptor to cache requests to upstream services
• Handle requests from multiple users with different auth tokens
• Upstream services replies on Vary to differentiate caches

Not affected: Browser/client-side applications (single user per browser session).

Services using different auth tokens to call upstream services will return incorrect cached data, bypassing authorization checks and leaking user data across different authenticated sessions.

Kodem intelligence

Already deployed Kodem?

After v1.11.1, automatic Vary header support is now enabled by default.

When server responds with Vary: Authorization, cache keys now include the authorization header value. Each user gets their own cache.

// v1.11.1+ (automatic, no config needed)
// User 123: key = hash(url + {authorization: 'Bearer 123'})
// User 456: key = hash(url + {authorization: 'Bearer 456'})
// ✓ Different caches, no poisoning

1. What is CVE-2025-69202? CVE-2025-69202 is a medium-severity security vulnerability in axios-cache-interceptor (npm), affecting versions < 1.11.1. It is fixed in 1.11.1.
2. Which versions of axios-cache-interceptor are affected by CVE-2025-69202? axios-cache-interceptor (npm) versions < 1.11.1 is affected.
3. Is there a fix for CVE-2025-69202? Yes. CVE-2025-69202 is fixed in 1.11.1. Upgrade to this version or later.
4. Is CVE-2025-69202 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2025-69202 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
5. What actually determines whether CVE-2025-69202 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.
6. How do I fix CVE-2025-69202? Upgrade axios-cache-interceptor to 1.11.1 or later.