Critical React Vulnerability (CVE-2025-55182): How to Fix It in Minutes

The Critical React Vulnerability (CVE-2025-55182) is a high-severity issue that affects React applications, allowing attackers to execute arbitrary code on the client-side. This vulnerability is caused by a flaw in the way React handles user input, specifically when using the dangerouslySetInnerHTML attribute. In this article, we will delve into the causes and effects of the CVE-2025-55182 vulnerability in React and provide a step-by-step guide on how to fix it.

What is CVE-2025-55182 Vulnerability in React

The CVE-2025-55182 vulnerability is a DOM-based cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability that occurs when an attacker injects malicious code into a React application. This can happen when a user inputs data that is not properly sanitized, and the application uses the dangerouslySetInnerHTML attribute to render the input data. The dangerouslySetInnerHTML attribute is used to set the inner HTML of a DOM element, and if the input data contains malicious code, it can be executed by the browser.

The causes of the CVE-2025-55182 vulnerability can be attributed to the following factors:

• Poor input validation and sanitization
• Incorrect use of the dangerouslySetInnerHTML attribute
• Insufficient security measures in place to prevent XSS attacks

The effects of the CVE-2025-55182 vulnerability can be severe, including:

• Arbitrary code execution on the client-side
• Theft of sensitive user data
• Session hijacking and unauthorized access to user accounts
• Malware distribution and installation

Syntax and Usage

To fix the CVE-2025-55182 vulnerability, you need to properly sanitize user input data and avoid using the dangerouslySetInnerHTML attribute whenever possible. Instead, you can use the textContent property to set the text content of a DOM element.

Here is an example of how to use the textContent property:

import React from 'react';
 
const userInput = 'Hello, World!';
 
const MyComponent = () => {
  return <div>{userInput}</div>;
};

In this example, the userInput variable is set to a string value, and the MyComponent component renders the input data using the textContent property.

Basic Example

Here is a more complex example that demonstrates how to sanitize user input data using a library like DOMPurify:

import React from 'react';
import DOMPurify from 'dompurify';
 
const userInput = '<script>alert("XSS")</script>';
 
const sanitizedInput = DOMPurify.sanitize(userInput);
 
const MyComponent = () => {
  return <div>{sanitizedInput}</div>;
};

In this example, the userInput variable is set to a string value that contains malicious code, and the DOMPurify library is used to sanitize the input data. The sanitized input data is then rendered using the textContent property.

Advanced Example

Here is an example that demonstrates how to use a more advanced sanitization library like react-dom-sanitizer:

import React from 'react';
import { sanitize } from 'react-dom-sanitizer';
 
const userInput = '<script>alert("XSS")</script>';
 
const sanitizedInput = sanitize(userInput, {
  ALLOWED_TAGS: ['p', 'span'],
  ALLOWED_ATTR: ['style'],
});
 
const MyComponent = () => {
  return <div>{sanitizedInput}</div>;
};

In this example, the userInput variable is set to a string value that contains malicious code, and the react-dom-sanitizer library is used to sanitize the input data. The sanitized input data is then rendered using the textContent property.

Common Use Cases

Here are some common use cases where the CVE-2025-55182 vulnerability can be exploited:

• User input forms: When a user inputs data into a form, the application may not properly sanitize the input data, allowing an attacker to inject malicious code.
• Comment sections: When a user posts a comment, the application may not properly sanitize the comment text, allowing an attacker to inject malicious code.
• File uploads: When a user uploads a file, the application may not properly sanitize the file contents, allowing an attacker to inject malicious code.

Best Practices

Here are some best practices to prevent the CVE-2025-55182 vulnerability:

• Always sanitize user input data using a library like DOMPurify or react-dom-sanitizer.
• Avoid using the dangerouslySetInnerHTML attribute whenever possible.
• Use the textContent property to set the text content of a DOM element.
• Implement content security policy (CSP) to define which sources of content are allowed to be executed within a web page.

Common Pitfalls

Here are some common pitfalls to watch out for when fixing the CVE-2025-55182 vulnerability:

• Not properly sanitizing user input data
• Using the dangerouslySetInnerHTML attribute without proper sanitization
• Not implementing CSP to define allowed content sources
• Not keeping dependencies up-to-date, which can lead to known vulnerabilities being exploited

Key Takeaways

Here are the key takeaways from this article:

• The CVE-2025-55182 vulnerability is a high-severity issue that affects React applications.
• The vulnerability can be exploited by injecting malicious code into user input data.
• To fix the vulnerability, you need to properly sanitize user input data and avoid using the dangerouslySetInnerHTML attribute.
• Implementing CSP and keeping dependencies up-to-date can help prevent the vulnerability from being exploited.