Risk actors have apparently began exploiting the newly disclosed React vulnerability tracked as React2Shell and CVE-2025-55182.
The crucial vulnerability may be exploited utilizing specifically crafted HTTP requests for unauthenticated distant code execution on affected servers. It was reported to React maintainer Meta on November 29 by researcher Lachlan Davidson, and it was patched on December 3.
React2Shell could influence many techniques contemplating that React, an open supply JavaScript library designed for creating software person interfaces, powers thousands and thousands of internet sites and its related NPM bundle has thousands and thousands of weekly downloads. Cloud safety big Wiz reported that 39% of cloud environments comprise susceptible React cases.
Davidson has arrange a devoted React2Shell web site, however has not made public the technical particulars of the vulnerability. Nonetheless, risk actors and researchers have been reverse-engineering the patches.
A number of proof-of-concept (PoC) exploits have been made public shortly after React2Shell’s disclosure, however they turned out to be faux. Nonetheless, there seems to be at the least one public PoC exploit that works.
Unsurprisingly, exploitation makes an attempt have additionally been seen. AWS reported late on Thursday that its risk intelligence groups began seeing CVE-2025-55182 exploitation makes an attempt by China-linked risk actors inside hours of public disclosure.
AWS famous that whereas exact attribution is difficult because of the sharing of assault infrastructure, it believes assault makes an attempt have been carried out by the teams referred to as Earth Lamia and Jackpot Panda.
Earth Lamia has been energetic since at the least 2023, concentrating on a variety of industries in Latin America, the Center East, and Southeast Asia. The risk actor has been noticed exploiting a number of vulnerabilities in its assaults.Commercial. Scroll to proceed studying.
Jackpot Panda has been round since at the least 2020, conducting cyberespionage operations in Asia.
“Risk actors are utilizing each automated scanning instruments and particular person PoC exploits,” AWS stated.
Dan Andrew, head of safety at Intruder, advised SecurityWeek that they’ve additionally witnessed exploitation exercise for React2Shell.
Scanning and faux PoC exploits
CVE-2025-55182 has additionally been added to vulnerability scanners and offensive safety instruments that may detect susceptible cases, which might result in much more widespread exploitation makes an attempt.
Then again, safety researcher Kevin Beaumont identified that the vulnerability solely impacts React model 19, particularly cases that use a comparatively new server characteristic.
As Beaumont identified, a few of these exploitation makes an attempt seem to leverage faux PoCs.
AWS confirmed that some risk actors are trying to make use of the faux PoCs, which don’t work in real-world situations, indicating that they’re desperately making an attempt to use the vulnerability as shortly as doable.
Nonetheless, AWS has additionally seen risk actors systematically troubleshooting their exploitation makes an attempt.
“This conduct demonstrates that risk actors aren’t simply working automated scans, however are actively debugging and refining their exploitation strategies towards reside targets,” AWS defined.
The cloud firm has made out there indicators of compromise (IoCs) to assist organizations detect potential exploitation makes an attempt.
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