About Author
Hi, I'm Sharon, a product manager at Chaitin Tech. We build SafeLine, an open-source Web Application Firewall built for real-world threats. While SafeLine focuses on HTTP-layer protection, our emergency response center monitors and responds to RCE and authentication vulnerabilities across the stack to help developers stay safe.
Vite is a modern front-end build tool widely adopted in JavaScript and TypeScript web projects. While it's known for blazing-fast dev servers, a critical file read vulnerability (CVE-2025-30208) was disclosed in March 2025 — and it's something every Vite user should be aware of.
What Happened?
In March 2025, Vite maintainers released security patches to fix an arbitrary file read vulnerability. The flaw allows attackers to bypass Vite's file access restrictions using crafted URLs, reading sensitive files from the host server.
While exploitation requires specific configurations (e.g., exposing the dev server to the internet), the impact is wide-reaching due to how many popular frameworks integrate Vite.
Root Cause
The issue lies in how Vite handles URLs with certain query parameters. A combination of regex and parameter handling logic allowed security checks to be bypassed.
An attacker could craft a malicious request to access files outside of the allowed directory scope.
Conditions for Exploitation
- The Vite dev server must be exposed to the internet, e.g., via
--hostorserver.hostconfiguration. - No user interaction is needed.
- No authentication is required.
- The vulnerability can be triggered remotely.
Impact
- Arbitrary file read on the host machine.
- Sensitive files like
.env, config files, or even private keys could be accessed. - Can lead to credential leakage or further compromise.
Severity: High
Vulnerability Type: Logic flaw
Attack Vector: Remote over network
Exploit Availability: Public PoC/EXP available
Fix Difficulty: Low (official patch available)
Affected Versions
The following versions are vulnerable:
6.2.0 <= vite < 6.2.3
6.1.0 <= vite < 6.1.2
6.0.0 <= vite < 6.0.12
5.0.0 <= vite < 5.4.15
vite < 4.5.10
How to Fix
Upgrade Immediately
Patch versions have been released:
6.2.3, 6.1.2, 6.0.12, 5.4.15, 4.5.10
Update via:
npm update vite
Or manually upgrade to a secure version.
Temporary Mitigations (If You Can't Upgrade Yet)
Restrict Network Access
Set--hostorserver.hosttolocalhostto prevent remote access.File Permissions
Ensure sensitive files can't be read by the Vite process (e.g., use OS-level permission controls).
Reproduction Example
A working PoC has been published online and widely shared in the security community. Security researchers have already confirmed its effectiveness.
Tip: Always run dev servers in isolated environments — never expose them to the internet.
Detection & Protection
- SafeLine WAF: Already supports custom rule detection for this vulnerability.
- Yuntu: Supports fingerprinting and PoC-based detection by default.
- Dongjian: Scheduled update by March 28.
- Quansight: Supports detection of exploit behavior out of the box.
Timeline
- March 24: Vulnerability publicly disclosed online.
- March 26: Reproduced by Chaitin Emergency Security Lab.
- March 27: Advisory published by Chaitin Security Response Center.
References
Join the SafeLine Community
Stay safe. If you're using Vite in production or even for internal testing, make sure your setup isn’t exposing your dev server to the internet — and patch immediately.
Security isn't just about fixing bugs — it's about minimizing exposure.
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