Medium

Node.js permission model futimes() timestamp modification bypass

IdentifiersCVE-2025-55132CWE-863

CVE-2025-55132 is a low-severity flaw in the Node.js permission model affecting v20, v22, v24, and v25. When the permission model is enabled, the fs.futimes() path does not enforce the expected write-permission checks before changing a file's access and modification timestamps. As a result, a process that has only read access to a file can still alter its atime/mtime metadata through futimes(), unlike the expected behavior for timestamp-changing operations such as utimes(). This permits metadata modification even in read-only directories and weakens the isolation guarantees intended by the Node.js permission model.

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ANALYST BRIEF

Impact, mitigation & remediation

What it means. What to do now. Patch path, mitigations, and the assume-compromise checklist.

Impact

What an attacker gets, and what they’ve been doing with it.

Successful exploitation allows an attacker or untrusted script running under the Node.js permission model to tamper with file timestamps without write authorization. The primary impact is anti-forensic: activity can be obscured, timestamp-based auditing and incident reconstruction become less reliable, and read-only permission boundaries are weakened with respect to file metadata integrity. Based on the provided information, this does not directly provide arbitrary file content modification or code execution.

Mitigation

If you can’t patch tonight, do this now.

If immediate patching is not possible, do not rely solely on the Node.js permission model to preserve timestamp integrity. Use OS-level filesystem permissions and directory protections to constrain access to sensitive files, minimize execution of untrusted code under permission-enabled Node.js processes, and enable filesystem/audit monitoring to detect unexpected atime/mtime changes where feasible. Treat timestamp-based logs and forensic artifacts from affected environments as potentially unreliable.

Remediation

Patch, then assume compromise.

Upgrade Node.js to a release that includes the fix for CVE-2025-55132, in which fs.futimes() enforces the appropriate write-permission checks under the permission model. The issue affects the active release lines 20.x, 22.x, 24.x, and 25.x; users should apply the corresponding Node.js security update for their branch.

PUBLIC EXPLOITS

Exploits

No public exploits tracked yet. Mallory keeps watching.

VALID 0 / 0 TOTALView more in app

No public exploit code observed for this vulnerability.

EXPOSURE SURFACE

Affected products & vendors

Products and vendors Mallory has correlated with this vulnerability. Open in Mallory to drill down to specific CPE configurations and version ranges.

VendorProductType

NodejsNodejsapplication

Vendor-confirmed product mapping. Mallory continuously reconciles this list against your asset inventory.

ACTIVITY FEED

Recent activity

9 sources tracked across advisories, community write-ups, and news. New activity surfaces here as Mallory finds it.

9 SOURCESView more in app

cyber security newsNews

Jan 13, 2026

Node.js Security Release Patches 7 Vulnerabilities Across All Release Lines

Low-severity permission bypass in Node.js where fs.futimes() can modify timestamps without write permissions, weakening read-only isolation in the permission model.

What this page doesn’t show

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Exposure mapping

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Threat actor evidence

Every observed campaign linking this CVE to a named adversary.

Associated malware

Malware families riding this exploit, with evidence and IOCs.

Detection signatures

YARA, Sigma, Snort, and vendor rules, auto-deployed to your SIEM.

Vendor-by-vendor mapping

Cross-references every affected SKU, including bundled OEM variants.

Social activity3

Community discussion across Reddit, Mastodon, and other social sources.

EXTERNAL REFERENCES

MITRE CVE

cve.org · CVE-2025-55132

NVD

nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-55132

MITRE CWE · CWE-863

cwe.mitre.org

Vendor Advisory

nodejs.org/en/blog/vulnerability/december-2025-security-releases