CVE-2025-66221 — werkzeug
Fix: pallets/werkzeug@4b83337CVE-2025-66221 is a CWE-67 vulnerability in werkzeug. A fix is available for werkzeug — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Werkzeug safe_join() allows Windows special device names
Exploitation Status
No confirmed exploitation observed yet
- CISA assesses this as automatable — exploitation doesn’t require manual, per-target effort, which raises the odds of mass scanning and opportunistic attacks.
- CISA’s own triage has not observed active exploitation or public proof-of-concept code for this CVE as of its last assessment.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2025-66221.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.
Real-World Exposure
werkzeugReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects PyPI packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
Werkzeug is a comprehensive WSGI web application library. Prior to version 3.1.4, Werkzeug's safe_join function allows path segments with Windows device names. On Windows, there are special device names such as CON, AUX, etc that are implicitly present and readable in every directory. send_from_directory uses safe_join to safely serve files at user-specified paths under a directory. If the application is running on Windows, and the requested path ends with a special device name, the file will be opened successfully, but reading will hang indefinitely. This issue has been patched in version 3.1.4.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐍PyPI | werkzeug | all versions | 3.1.4pip install --upgrade 'werkzeug==3.1.4' |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for werkzeug, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update werkzeug to 3.1.4 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2025-66221 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 Security's impact-aware SCA analyses which vulnerable code paths your application actually calls, so a match like CVE-2025-66221 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to CVE-2025-66221. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2025-66221 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds CVE-2025-66221 across PyPI dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.