CVE-2025-14874: Nodemailer Denial of Service via Uncontrolled Recursion
Summary
CVE-2025-14874: Nodemailer is vulnerable to DoS through Uncontrolled Recursion. Affects nodemailer versions < 7.0.11. Fixed in 7.0.11. How to fix ↓
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Background
Nodemailer is a popular module for Node.js applications that allows users to send emails easily. It supports various transport methods and provides a simple API for composing and sending messages. However, a recent vulnerability has been identified that can lead to denial of service (DoS) when processing certain email address headers.
Vulnerability Detail
A flaw was discovered in Nodemailer that allows attackers to craft a malicious email address header. This header triggers infinite recursion in the address parser, leading to a denial of service (DoS) condition. The vulnerability arises from improper handling of specific input, which can cause the application to crash or become unresponsive, impacting the availability of services relying on Nodemailer.
How To Fix
Latest published version: 10.2.1 as of 22 Oct 2026
npm install nodemailer@10.2.1Upgrading to it may include breaking changes; the version below is the minimum fixed release for this vulnerability.
If you need the minimum change
7.0.11
This is the first release that contains the fix.
npm install nodemailer@7.0.11Tip — Not sure which version your app runs? Vulert can match this fix to it. Scan free →
Workaround
As a temporary workaround, you can implement input validation to sanitize email address headers before processing them. This can help mitigate the risk of triggering the infinite recursion issue.
Conclusion
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-14874 in Nodemailer poses a significant risk of denial of service through uncontrolled recursion triggered by malformed email address headers. It is crucial to update to version 7.0.11 or later to mitigate this risk. Additionally, utilizing tools like Vulert can help monitor and manage vulnerabilities in your applications effectively.
See every vulnerability recorded for nodemailer →
FAQ
The CVSS score for this vulnerability is 5.3, indicating a moderate severity level.
You can use Vulert, which monitors and alerts for open-source vulnerabilities in real-time. Visit Vulert Scanner to check if your application is affected without requiring any signup.
All versions of Nodemailer prior to 7.0.11 are affected by this vulnerability.
The primary impact is a denial of service (DoS), which can cause your application to crash or become unresponsive, affecting user experience and service availability.
Yes, you can implement input validation to sanitize email address headers as a temporary measure until you can update to the patched version.
References
Related vulnerabilities
Recent vulnerabilities recorded for nodemailer.
