Overview
The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) system has recently identified a significant security flaw in two key Apollo GraphQL products: Apollo Studio Embeddable Explorer and Embeddable Sandbox. This vulnerability, cataloged as CVE-2025-59845, has severe implications, potentially leading to system compromise or data leakage. It can affect any organization or individual who utilizes versions of these products prior to Apollo Sandbox version 2.7.2 and Apollo Explorer version 3.7.3. This exploit matters significantly due to the severity of its potential impact and the widespread use of the affected software.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2025-59845
Severity: High, with a CVSS score of 8.2
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: Required
Impact: Potential system compromise or data leakage
Affected Products
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Product | Affected Versions
Apollo Sandbox | Prior to version 2.7.2
Apollo Explorer | Prior to version 3.7.3
How the Exploit Works
The vulnerability stems from a lack of origin validation in the client-side code that handles window.postMessage events. In essence, a malicious website can send forged messages to the page embedding the Apollo software. This action triggers the victim’s browser to execute arbitrary GraphQL queries or mutations against their GraphQL server, using the victim’s cookies for authentication. The result is potential unauthorized access to sensitive data or system compromise.
Conceptual Example Code
The following is a conceptual example of how the vulnerability might be exploited:
// attacker's site
window.open("https://target.com/embedded_apollo_page", "_blank", "height=600,width=800");
// a few seconds later...
window.postMessage({
type: "graphql_query",
query: "{ user { id, email, password } }",
}, "https://target.com");This code opens the vulnerable page in a new window and then sends a malicious postMessage event with a GraphQL query designed to fetch sensitive user data.
Recommendations for Mitigation
Taking immediate action to mitigate this vulnerability is highly advised. The best course of action is to apply the vendor patch. Update to Apollo Sandbox version 2.7.2 and Apollo Explorer version 3.7.3, as these versions have patched this vulnerability. As a temporary mitigation, consider utilizing a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) to detect and block cross-site request forgery attempts.
