CVE-2025-40906 in BSON-XS
Summary
by MITRE • 05/16/2025
BSON::XS versions 0.8.4 and earlier for Perl includes a bundled libbson 1.1.7, which has several vulnerabilities.
Those include CVE-2017-14227, CVE-2018-16790, CVE-2023-0437, CVE-2024-6381, CVE-2024-6383, and CVE-2025-0755.
BSON-XS was the official Perl XS implementation of MongoDB's BSON serialization, but this distribution has reached its end of life as of August 13, 2020 and is no longer supported.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/05/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-40906 represents a critical security concern within the Perl ecosystem, specifically affecting BSON::XS versions 0.8.4 and earlier. This issue stems from the inclusion of a bundled libbson 1.1.7 library that contains multiple previously discovered security flaws, creating a cascading risk for systems utilizing this deprecated Perl module. The affected software represents a legacy implementation of MongoDB's Binary JSON serialization format, which was historically used for efficient data interchange between MongoDB and Perl applications. The presence of these vulnerabilities within a widely deployed library means that numerous production environments may be exposed to exploitation without proper mitigation measures.
The technical flaw manifests through the outdated libbson 1.1.7 component that ships with BSON::XS, which encompasses several documented security issues including CVE-2017-14227, CVE-2018-16790, CVE-2023-0437, CVE-2024-6381, CVE-2024-6383, and CVE-2025-0755. These vulnerabilities span across different categories of security flaws including buffer overflows, memory corruption issues, and potential denial-of-service conditions that could be exploited by remote attackers. The bundled nature of this library means that even if system administrators are aware of individual CVEs, they may not realize that their BSON::XS installations contain these embedded vulnerabilities. The libbson library serves as the underlying serialization engine for BSON documents, making it a critical component in data processing pipelines that handle MongoDB interactions.
From an operational impact perspective, systems running vulnerable versions of BSON::XS face significant security risks that could lead to data compromise, service disruption, or unauthorized access to database resources. The end-of-life status of BSON::XS as of August 13, 2020, means that no further security updates or patches are available from the original maintainers, leaving organizations with no official path for remediation. This creates a particularly dangerous scenario where organizations may be unaware of their exposure to these known vulnerabilities, especially in legacy environments where modern security practices may not be fully implemented. The vulnerability affects not only the immediate security posture but also compliance requirements, as organizations may fail to meet regulatory standards for maintaining secure software dependencies.
Organizations should immediately transition away from using BSON::XS due to its end-of-life status and lack of security support. The recommended mitigation strategy involves migrating to supported alternatives such as BSON::Perl or BSON::Simple, which provide current security updates and active maintenance. Additionally, system administrators should conduct comprehensive inventory audits to identify all systems utilizing this vulnerable module and implement network segmentation to limit potential attack surfaces. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this type of vulnerability under T1210 - Exploitation of Remote Services, as attackers could potentially exploit the bundled vulnerabilities to gain unauthorized access to systems processing MongoDB data. Organizations should also consider implementing dependency monitoring tools to prevent similar issues with other legacy components in their software supply chain, aligning with CWE categories related to software vulnerabilities in external libraries and third-party components.