$ research-item --score 37 --exploit none

A flaw was found in Axios, a promise-based HTTP client. This vulnerability, k…

Research page generated from configured evidence sources. Treat this as an analyst workbench: facts are sourced, gaps are labelled, and low-confidence chatter is separated from confirmed evidence.

Executive judgement

  • Operational lane: monitor
  • Priority score: 37
  • Confidence: medium
  • Exploit status: none — No public exploitation signal captured by the configured pipeline yet.
  • Urgent publishable: no
  • CISA KEV: No CISA KEV match captured in configured source data at generation time.
  • Published/observed: 2026-04-16
  • EPSS score: not available

What happened

A flaw was found in Axios, a promise-based HTTP client. This vulnerability, known as Prototype Pollution, can be exploited through a specific “Gadget” attack chain. This allows an attacker to escalate a Prototype Pollution vulnerability in a third-party dependency, potentially leading to remote code execution or a full cloud compromise, such as bypassing AWS IMDSv2.

Why it matters

  • The item was promoted because the pipeline observed: priority score 37, exploit status none, confidence medium.
  • It has a CVE identifier, so it can be tracked across NVD/CVE.org/vendor/exploit sources.
  • No PoC signal was detected by the current pipeline unless shown elsewhere on this page.

Evidence collected

Exploitation and PoC status

  • Current automated assessment: No public exploitation signal captured by the configured pipeline yet.
  • Public exploit/PoC: No PoC source captured yet by the configured pipeline.
  • Exploited in the wild: Not confirmed by configured sources at generation time.
  • Ransomware association: No ransomware association captured at generation time.

Publication / validation flags

  • no_exploitation_signal

Dark web / low-confidence chatter

Defender actions

  • Monitor NVD for Axios updates on CVE-2026-40175
  • Audit third-party dependencies for prototype pollution gadgets
  • Harden object prototype handling in Axios-dependent apps

Analyst note

Priority score of 37/100 and complete absence of KEV, exploits, or signals indicate negligible immediate risk. Defenders should watch the NVD entry for any version or patch details. Standard dependency hygiene remains the only warranted focus.

Defender / Sentinel hunting queries

MDE exposure: devices with CVE-2026-40175

Find devices where Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management reports the CVE.

DeviceTvmSoftwareVulnerabilities
| where CveId == "CVE-2026-40175"
| project DeviceName, OSPlatform, SoftwareVendor, SoftwareName, SoftwareVersion, VulnerabilitySeverityLevel, RecommendedSecurityUpdate, LastSeenTime
| order by VulnerabilitySeverityLevel desc, LastSeenTime desc

Sentinel cloud app suspicious activity

Hunt for SaaS/cloud application abuse, OAuth misuse, or admin anomalies linked to this issue.

CloudAppEvents
| where Timestamp > ago(14d)
| where ActivityType has "flaw" or ObjectName has "flaw" or RawEventData has "flaw" or ActivityType has "found" or ObjectName has "found" or RawEventData has "found" or ActivityType has "Axios" or ObjectName has "Axios" or RawEventData has "Axios" or ActivityType has "promise-based" or ObjectName has "promise-based" or RawEventData has "promise-based"
| project Timestamp, Application, AccountDisplayName, AccountObjectId, ActivityType, ObjectName, IPAddress, CountryCode, RawEventData
| order by Timestamp desc

MDE endpoint behaviour hunt

General endpoint hunt for named tooling, malware, or exploit artefacts from the research item. Tune terms with vendor IOCs.

DeviceProcessEvents
| where Timestamp > ago(14d)
| where ProcessCommandLine has "flaw" or FileName has "flaw" or FolderPath has "flaw" or ProcessCommandLine has "found" or FileName has "found" or FolderPath has "found" or ProcessCommandLine has "Axios" or FileName has "Axios" or FolderPath has "Axios" or ProcessCommandLine has "promise-based" or FileName has "promise-based" or FolderPath has "promise-based" or ProcessCommandLine has "HTTP" or FileName has "HTTP" or FolderPath has "HTTP"
| project Timestamp, DeviceName, AccountName, FileName, FolderPath, ProcessCommandLine, InitiatingProcessFileName, InitiatingProcessCommandLine
| order by Timestamp desc

MDE file artefact hunt

Hunt for suspicious files dropped or modified during exploitation of this vulnerability.

DeviceFileEvents
| where Timestamp > ago(14d)
| where FileName has "flaw" or FolderPath has "flaw" or InitiatingProcessCommandLine has "flaw" or FileName has "found" or FolderPath has "found" or InitiatingProcessCommandLine has "found" or FileName has "Axios" or FolderPath has "Axios" or InitiatingProcessCommandLine has "Axios" or FileName has "promise-based" or FolderPath has "promise-based" or InitiatingProcessCommandLine has "promise-based" or FileName has "HTTP" or FolderPath has "HTTP" or InitiatingProcessCommandLine has "HTTP"
| project Timestamp, DeviceName, FileName, FolderPath, ActionType, InitiatingProcessFileName, InitiatingProcessCommandLine, SHA256, FileSize
| order by Timestamp desc

Exposure validation ideas

  • Search asset inventory for affected vendor/product names and any CVE reference.
  • Check internet-facing exposure through approved tools only: Shodan/Censys/GreyNoise links below are research starting points, not proof of exposure.
  • Prioritise management interfaces, edge devices, identity/control-plane systems, and OT/ICS assets where relevant.

Detection / hunting ideas

  • Review vendor logs for authentication failures, privilege changes, unexpected admin activity, and anomalous management-plane access.
  • Search SIEM/EDR telemetry for product-specific process names, network services, and newly published indicators from primary sources.
  • Monitor for scanner traffic or nuclei/metasploit module references once public exploit tooling appears.

Open questions

  • Is there a primary vendor advisory with exact affected versions and fixed versions?
  • Has CISA KEV, Shadowserver, GreyNoise, or a trusted vendor confirmed exploitation?
  • Are there credible PoC repositories or only secondary reporting mentioning PoC?
  • Is there underground/forum/leak-site discussion, or only public reporting?

Generated: 2026-06-18T08:24:41+00:00

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