Axios CVE-2026-40175: a critical bug that’s… not exploitable

**Axios CVE-2026-40175 analysis:** The report examines the claimed gadget-chain (prototype pollution → CRLF header injection → request smuggling → IMDSv2 bypass → credential theft) and finds that runtime header validation in Node.js, Bun, and Deno prevents CRLF injection in normal deployments, making the full chain not realistically exploitable except in rare cases where a custom Axios adapter bypasses the runtime; it advises upgrading Axios (>=1.15.0), auditing for prototype pollution and SSRF exposure, and not relying solely on runtime protections.