Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
Nokogiri versions before 1.18.4 bundle a vulnerable libxslt library. An attacker who can make an application process crafted XSLT could trigger memory corruption and potentially expose sensitive information. The supplied evidence does not establish code execution or active exploitation.
Executive priority
Prioritize applications that expose XSLT transformation to untrusted or internet-originated content. Upgrade promptly because exploitation requires no privileges or user interaction when the vulnerable processing path is reachable. Systems without attacker-controlled XSLT should still be inventoried and updated through normal high-severity remediation timelines.
Technical view
Two libxslt use-after-free flaws, CVE-2025-24855 and CVE-2024-55549, can be reached while processing crafted XSLT. Nokogiri 1.18.4 upgrades bundled libxslt to 1.1.43. CVE-2025-71406 is rated 8.7 under CVSS 4.0, with network reachability, low complexity, no privileges, and no user interaction.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely where a Ruby application uses Nokogiri before 1.18.4, relies on its bundled libxslt, and processes attacker-controlled or untrusted XSLT. Installed version alone does not prove exploitability; confirm whether affected transformation paths are reachable.
Exploitation context
The supplied record is not listed as KEV and provides no evidence of active exploitation. Crafted XSLT is required. Public network exposure matters only when untrusted input can reach an XSLT-processing workflow. No exploit steps or demonstrated impact beyond the cited memory-corruption and confidentiality risk are established here.
Researcher notes
CVE-2025-71406 represents Nokogiri’s exposure through its bundled libxslt and references two underlying flaws. The cited CVSS vector claims high confidentiality impact but no integrity or availability impact. Evidence supplied does not demonstrate remote code execution, exploitation in the wild, or exposure when XSLT input is fully trusted.
Mitigation direction
- Upgrade Nokogiri to version 1.18.4 or later.
- Confirm the deployed build uses libxslt 1.1.43 or later.
- Restrict or disable processing of untrusted XSLT until upgrades are complete.
- Review the vendor advisory for platform-specific packaging guidance.
Validation and detection
- Inventory deployed Nokogiri versions, including transitive dependencies and packaged runtime artifacts.
- Determine whether applications accept or derive XSLT from untrusted sources.
- Verify the resolved production dependency is Nokogiri 1.18.4 or later.
- Confirm bundled or linked libxslt is version 1.1.43 or later.
- Regression-test legitimate XSLT workflows after remediation.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-416: Exact CWE lookup
Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2025-71406 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- High
- CVSS
- 8.7 (4.0)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
SSVC decision data
CVSS vector scores
2 official scoresWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N——VulnCheckCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:H/A:H1.45.8VulnCheckVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 4.0 score
8.7HighVector: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
Base CVSS 3.1 score
7.8HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:H/A:H
Vulnerability timeline
Timeline events are normalized from CVE metadata, CNA source timelines, ADP timelines, and KEV metadata when present.
- CVE reservedCVE Program
The CVE ID was reserved by the assigning CNA.
- CVE publishedCVE Program
The CVE record was published.
- CVE updatedCVE Program
The CVE record metadata indicates this as the latest update time.
ADP provider summaries
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- GitHub Security Advisory (GHSA-mrxw-mxhj-p664)CVE reference, VulnCheck · vendor-advisory
- VulnCheck Advisory: Nokogiri before 1.18.4 Use-After-Free via libxsltCVE reference, VulnCheck · third-party-advisory
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Use After Free
Use After Free represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.