Vite CVE-2026-53571
HIGH
GHSA-fx2h-pf6j-xcff
Severity by source
Network-reachable file read with no auth/UI, but AC:H because the server must be Windows-hosted, network-exposed via non-default `--host`, and target a file on NTFS or with 8.3 enabled; impact is confidentiality only.
Lifecycle Timeline
2Blast Radius
ecosystem impact- 31 npm packages depend on vite (27 direct, 4 indirect)
- 11 npm packages depend on vite-plus (9 direct, 2 indirect)
Ecosystem-wide dependent count for version 8.0.0 and other introduced versions.
DescriptionCVE.org
Summary
The contents of files that are specified by server.fs.deny can be returned to the browser on Windows.
Impact
Only apps that match the following conditions are affected:
- explicitly exposes the Vite dev server to the network (using
--hostorserver.hostconfig option) - the sensitive file exists in the allowed directories specified by
server.fs.allow - either of:
- the sensitive file exists in an NTFS volume
- the dev server is running on Windows and the sensitive file exists in a volume that 8.3 short name generation is enabled (it is enabled by default on system volumes)
Details
Vite’s dev server denies direct access to sensitive files through server.fs.deny, including entries such as .env, .env.*, and *.{crt,pem}. However, on Windows, the deny logic does not correctly normalize NTFS ADS path forms before access checks are applied. Because of this, requests such as /.env::$DATA?raw are treated as allowed paths, while Windows resolves them to the original file's default data stream.
Similar to that, Windows allows accessing a file using a different name with the 8.3 short name compatibility feature. Vite did not reject accessing files via them.
PoC
$ npm create vite@latest
$ cd vite-project/
$ npm install
$ npm run devAccess via browser at http://localhost:5173/.env::$DATA?raw <img width="388" height="129" alt="deecc1315123883cfd0f9c26a002845a" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/895c6012-4e2e-4a35-babb-69bbf3ee7170" />
Example expected result:
/.env::$DATA?rawreturns the contents of.env/tls.pem::$DATA?rawreturns the contents oftls.pem
AnalysisAI
Sensitive file disclosure in Vite's development server on Windows allows remote attackers to bypass the server.fs.deny allowlist and retrieve files such as .env, TLS keys, and certificates by abusing NTFS Alternate Data Stream syntax (::$DATA) and 8.3 short filename aliases. Affected versions span Vite 6.x through 8.x and the vite-plus fork, and exploitation is only possible when the dev server is intentionally exposed to the network via --host or server.host. …
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Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata
Vulnerability AssessmentAI
| Exploitation | Exploitation requires all of the following: (1) the Vite dev server is explicitly exposed to the network via the `--host` CLI flag or `server.host` config option (default `localhost` binding is NOT vulnerable to remote attackers), (2) the sensitive target file resides within a directory listed in `server.fs.allow`, and (3) either the file sits on an NTFS volume (enabling the `::$DATA` ADS bypass) or the dev server runs on Windows with NTFS 8.3 short name generation enabled on the target volume (default on system volumes). … Additional conditions and limiting factors are described in the full assessment. |
| Risk Assessment | No CVSS vector or EPSS score is provided in the input, and the CVE is not listed in CISA KEV, so quantitative ranking is limited. … Full risk analysis with EPSS, KEV, and SSVC signal comparison available after sign-in. |
| Exploit Scenario | A developer runs `vite` on a Windows laptop with `--host` to test the app from a phone on the same Wi-Fi network. An attacker on the same network (coffee shop, conference Wi-Fi, corporate LAN) requests `http://<dev-host>:5173/.env::$DATA?raw` and receives the contents of the project's `.env` file, harvesting database credentials, cloud API tokens, and signing keys. … |
| Remediation | Vendor-released patches are available: upgrade `vite` to 8.0.16, 7.3.5, or 6.4.3 depending on the major version in use, and `vite-plus` to 0.1.24, per GHSA-fx2h-pf6j-xcff (https://github.com/vitejs/vite/security/advisories/GHSA-fx2h-pf6j-xcff). … Detailed patch versions, workarounds, and compensating controls in full report. |
Recommended ActionAI
Within 24 hours: Identify all Vite development servers exposed via --host or server.host configuration and immediately block network access. …
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