fast-uri: Improper Handling of URL Encoding (Hex Encoding)
CVE-2026-76172 is a high-severity improper handling of URL encoding (hex encoding) vulnerability in fast-uri, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.5 out of 10. It can be exploited remotely over the network by an unauthenticated attacker, without any action from a user. The record lists versions 2.4.5, 3.1.6, 4.1.3 as the first without the flaw, so updating fast-uri to one of those releases or later removes the exposure. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.23% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is low compared with other CVEs.
High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.
What to do
- Update fast-uri to 2.4.5 or 3.1.6 or 4.1.3, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
- Read the advisory on cna.openjsf.org for workarounds and exact fixed builds.
- Until you can update, restrict network access to the affected service so it is not reachable from untrusted networks.
Affected products and versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fast-uri | fast-uri | 2.3.1 up to, but not including, 2.4.5; 3.0.0 up to, but not including, 3.1.6; 4.0.0 up to, but not including, 4.1.3 | 2.4.5, 3.1.6, 4.1.3 |
Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.
How the severity score breaks down
- Attack vector
- NetworkCan be exploited remotely over a network, including the internet.
- Attack complexity
- LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
- Privileges required
- NoneNo account or login is needed.
- User interaction
- NoneNo action by a victim is required.
- Scope
- UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component.
- Confidentiality
- NoneNo data is disclosed.
- Integrity
- HighData or code can be modified at will.
- Availability
- NoneAvailability is not affected.
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N. Scored by CNA.
Official description
fast-uri is a URI parser for Node.js. During parsing it runs a legacy decoding pass over the scheme component and never re-escapes the result, and serialization writes the scheme back out verbatim, unlike the host component which is re-escaped. As a result an input whose scheme carries percent-encoded slashes parses as a scheme with no authority, so the parsed host and error are both undefined, yet resolving or normalizing that same input emits a network-path reference whose authority is attacker-chosen and re-parses to that host. An application that allowlists on the parsed host, or treats a reference with no authority as safe to resolve against its base, gets the opposite of what it checked, giving an off-site redirect, server-side request forgery, or address-policy bypass. The legacy decoder also expands non-standard escape forms, widening the issue past upstream filters, and control characters in the scheme can reach the output as raw carriage return and line feed. The affected versions are 2.3.1 up to but not including 2.4.5, 3.0.0 up to but not including 3.1.6, and 4.0.0 up to but not including 4.1.3. The issue is fixed in 2.4.5, 3.1.6, and 4.1.3, which reject a scheme that is not valid after decoding. Users should upgrade to a patched version.
Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.
The underlying weakness: Improper Handling of URL Encoding (Hex Encoding)
The product does not properly handle when all or part of an input has been URL encoded.
How developers prevent this class of flaw
- Avoid making decisions based on names of resources (e.g. files) if those resources can have alternate names.
- Inputs should be decoded and canonicalized to the application's current internal representation before being validated (CWE-180). Make sure that the application does not decode the same input twice (CWE-174). Such errors could be used to bypass allowlist validation schemes by introducing dangerous inputs after they have been checked.
More Improper Handling of URL Encoding (Hex Encoding) vulnerabilities (CWE-177)
Timeline
- CVE record published.
- CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: yes, technical impact: partial).
- Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).
References
Advisories
Other vulnerabilities in fast-uri
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
Recent Improper Handling of URL Encoding (Hex Encoding) vulnerabilities
- 8.1 High severity
- 9.1 Critical severity
- 9.1 Critical severity
- 9.8 Critical severity
- 8.4 High severity
- 8.8 High severity
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