CVE-2025-59845: 
JavaScript vulnerability analysis and mitigation

Apollo Studio Embeddable Explorer & Embeddable Sandbox, website embeddable software solutions from Apollo GraphQL, were found to contain a cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability. The issue was identified in Apollo Sandbox versions prior to 2.7.2 and Apollo Explorer versions prior to 3.7.3, with the vulnerability being disclosed on September 25, 2025. The affected components are primarily used for embedding Apollo's GraphQL development tools into websites (GitHub Advisory).

The vulnerability stems from missing origin validation in the client-side code that handles window.postMessage events. This security flaw has been assigned a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.2 (High), with a vector string of CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:H/A:N. The vulnerability is categorized under CWE-346 (Origin Validation Error) and CWE-352 (Cross-Site Request Forgery) (GitHub Advisory).

The vulnerability allows malicious websites to send forged messages to the embedding page, causing the victim's browser to execute arbitrary GraphQL queries or mutations against their GraphQL server while authenticated with the victim's cookies. While attackers cannot read the responses to the GraphQL operations, they can trigger mutations with side effects. The operations appear identical to legitimate operations and can contain the browser user's cookies, potentially affecting private networks otherwise inaccessible to the attacker (GitHub Advisory).

The vulnerability has been patched in Apollo Sandbox version 2.7.2 and Apollo Explorer version 3.7.3 by adding strict origin validation to DOM message handling. Apollo's CDN embeds have been automatically updated to the patched versions. For Apollo Server users, setting NODE_ENV=production in production environments prevents unintentional serving of embedded Sandbox. Users who don't directly install the npm packages @apollo/sandbox or @apollo/explorer don't need to take action as the vulnerability has been automatically mitigated through CDN updates (GitHub Advisory).