Vulnerability-Lookup

GHSA-F49M-VF83-692W

Vulnerability from github – Published: 2026-06-25 17:28 – Updated: 2026-06-25 17:28

Summary

i18next-http-middleware: MissingKeyHandler does not reject keys whose segments contain prototype-polluting names

Details

Impact

i18next-http-middleware ≤ 3.9.6's missingKeyHandler blocked the literal request-body keys __proto__, constructor, and prototype (added in 3.9.3, see GHSA-5fgg-jcpf-8jjw), but did not reject dotted variants such as "__proto__.polluted". Downstream backends that split the missing-key string on a configured keySeparator (notably i18next-fs-backend ≤ 2.6.5) hand these keys to an unguarded setPath() walker that writes to Object.prototype.

Applications that expose missingKeyHandler to untrusted input AND use i18next-fs-backend ≤ 2.6.5 are directly exploitable for remote prototype pollution. Other downstream backends that split the missing-key string the same way may be similarly affected.

Depending on the host application, polluted prototype properties may cause crashes, corrupted translation behaviour, configuration poisoning, or bypasses of property-based security checks.

Patches

Fixed in i18next-http-middleware 3.9.7. A new utils.hasUnsafeKeySegment(key, keySeparator) helper is now used by missingKeyHandler; the configured i18next.options.keySeparator is honoured (default .; false disables segment splitting and only the literal-key denylist applies). Legitimate dotted keys (e.g. "header.title") are unaffected.

The root-cause fix has been shipped in i18next-fs-backend 2.6.6 — see the companion advisory.

Workarounds

If users cannot upgrade immediately:

Do not expose missingKeyHandler to untrusted users (mount it behind authentication, or remove the route).
Add a request-body filter ahead of the handler that rejects any top-level key containing __proto__, constructor, or prototype after splitting on a configured keySeparator.
Disable missing-key persistence (saveMissing: false) when accepting writes from untrusted input.

Resources

Original report by @codeswhite.
Companion advisory in i18next-fs-backend: GHSA-2933-q333-qg83.
Previous i18next-http-middleware security release: GHSA-5fgg-jcpf-8jjw and GHSA-c3h8-g69v-pjrg (in 3.9.3).

Severity

9.1 (Critical)


                  
                    CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H

Show details on source website

JSON

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{
  "affected": [
    {
      "package": {
        "ecosystem": "npm",
        "name": "i18next-http-middleware"
      },
      "ranges": [
        {
          "events": [
            {
              "introduced": "0"
            },
            {
              "fixed": "3.9.7"
            }
          ],
          "type": "ECOSYSTEM"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "aliases": [
    "CVE-2026-48714"
  ],
  "database_specific": {
    "cwe_ids": [
      "CWE-1321"
    ],
    "github_reviewed": true,
    "github_reviewed_at": "2026-06-25T17:28:12Z",
    "nvd_published_at": "2026-06-15T22:16:17Z",
    "severity": "CRITICAL"
  },
  "details": "### Impact\n\n`i18next-http-middleware` \u2264 3.9.6\u0027s `missingKeyHandler` blocked the literal request-body keys `__proto__`, `constructor`, and `prototype` (added in 3.9.3, see GHSA-5fgg-jcpf-8jjw), but did not reject dotted variants such as `\"__proto__.polluted\"`. Downstream backends that split the missing-key string on a configured `keySeparator` (notably `i18next-fs-backend` \u2264 2.6.5) hand these keys to an unguarded `setPath()` walker that writes to `Object.prototype`.\n\nApplications that expose `missingKeyHandler` to untrusted input **AND** use `i18next-fs-backend` \u2264 2.6.5 are directly exploitable for remote prototype pollution. Other downstream backends that split the missing-key string the same way may be similarly affected.\n\nDepending on the host application, polluted prototype properties may cause crashes, corrupted translation behaviour, configuration poisoning, or bypasses of property-based security checks.\n\n### Patches\n\nFixed in **i18next-http-middleware 3.9.7**. A new `utils.hasUnsafeKeySegment(key, keySeparator)` helper is now used by `missingKeyHandler`; the configured `i18next.options.keySeparator` is honoured (default `.`; `false` disables segment splitting and only the literal-key denylist applies). Legitimate dotted keys (e.g. `\"header.title\"`) are unaffected.\n\nThe root-cause fix has been shipped in `i18next-fs-backend` **2.6.6** \u2014 see the companion advisory.\n\n### Workarounds\n\nIf users cannot upgrade immediately:\n\n- Do not expose `missingKeyHandler` to untrusted users (mount it behind authentication, or remove the route).\n- Add a request-body filter ahead of the handler that rejects any top-level key containing `__proto__`, `constructor`, or `prototype` after splitting on a configured `keySeparator`.\n- Disable missing-key persistence (`saveMissing: false`) when accepting writes from untrusted input.\n\n### Resources\n\n- Original report by [@codeswhite](https://github.com/codeswhite).\n- Companion advisory in `i18next-fs-backend`: [GHSA-2933-q333-qg83](https://github.com/i18next/i18next-fs-backend/security/advisories/GHSA-2933-q333-qg83).\n- Previous `i18next-http-middleware` security release: GHSA-5fgg-jcpf-8jjw and GHSA-c3h8-g69v-pjrg (in 3.9.3).",
  "id": "GHSA-f49m-vf83-692w",
  "modified": "2026-06-25T17:28:12Z",
  "published": "2026-06-25T17:28:12Z",
  "references": [
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://github.com/i18next/i18next-http-middleware/security/advisories/GHSA-f49m-vf83-692w"
    },
    {
      "type": "ADVISORY",
      "url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-48714"
    },
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://github.com/i18next/i18next-http-middleware/commit/7c6d26f137d3e940b8d229ca148bca38845faf49"
    },
    {
      "type": "PACKAGE",
      "url": "https://github.com/i18next/i18next-http-middleware"
    }
  ],
  "schema_version": "1.4.0",
  "severity": [
    {
      "score": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H",
      "type": "CVSS_V3"
    }
  ],
  "summary": "i18next-http-middleware: MissingKeyHandler does not reject keys whose segments contain prototype-polluting names"
}

CVE-2026-48714 (GCVE-0-2026-48714)

Vulnerability from cvelistv5 – Published: 2026-06-15 20:41 – Updated: 2026-06-16 14:50

Title

i18next-http-middleware missingKeyHandler does not reject keys whose segments contain prototype-polluting names

Summary

i18next-http-middleware is a middleware to be used with Node.js web frameworks like express or Fastify and also for Deno. In versions prior to 3.9.7, the missingKeyHandler blocked the literal request-body keys __proto__, constructor, and prototype (added in 3.9.3, see GHSA-5fgg-jcpf-8jjw), but did not reject dotted variants such as "__proto__.polluted". Downstream backends that split the missing-key string on a configured keySeparator (notably i18next-fs-backend ≤ 2.6.5) hand these keys to an unguarded setPath() walker that writes to Object.prototype. Applications that expose missingKeyHandler to untrusted input AND use i18next-fs-backend ≤ 2.6.5 are directly exploitable for remote prototype pollution. Other downstream backends that split the missing-key string the same way may be similarly affected. Depending on the host application, polluted prototype properties may cause crashes, corrupted translation behaviour, configuration poisoning, or bypasses of property-based security checks. This issue has been fixed in version 3.9.7. If developers cannot upgrade immediately, they should do the following: do not expose missingKeyHandler to untrusted users (mount it behind authentication, or remove the route), add a request-body filter ahead of the handler that rejects any top-level key containing __proto__, constructor, or prototype after splitting on their configured keySeparator, and disable missing-key persistence (saveMissing: false) when accepting writes from untrusted input.

Severity

9.1 (Critical)


                        
                          CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H

SSVC

Exploitation: none Automatable: yes Technical Impact: partial

CISA Coordinator · CISA-ADP (v2.0.3)

Decision recorded 2026-06-16 14:50 UTC

CWE

CWE-1321 - Improperly Controlled Modification of Object Prototype Attributes ('Prototype Pollution')

Assigner

GitHub_M mitre root Scorecard

References

2 references

URL	Tags
https://github.com/i18next/i18next-http-middlewar…	x_refsource_CONFIRM
https://github.com/i18next/i18next-http-middlewar…	x_refsource_MISC

Impacted products

1 product

Vendor	Product	Version
i18next	i18next-http-middleware	Affected: < 3.9.7

Show details on NVD website

JSON

To clipboard

{
  "containers": {
    "adp": [
      {
        "metrics": [
          {
            "other": {
              "content": {
                "id": "CVE-2026-48714",
                "options": [
                  {
                    "Exploitation": "none"
                  },
                  {
                    "Automatable": "yes"
                  },
                  {
                    "Technical Impact": "partial"
                  }
                ],
                "role": "CISA Coordinator",
                "timestamp": "2026-06-16T14:50:19.973996Z",
                "version": "2.0.3"
              },
              "type": "ssvc"
            }
          }
        ],
        "providerMetadata": {
          "dateUpdated": "2026-06-16T14:50:29.087Z",
          "orgId": "134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0",
          "shortName": "CISA-ADP"
        },
        "title": "CISA ADP Vulnrichment"
      }
    ],
    "cna": {
      "affected": [
        {
          "product": "i18next-http-middleware",
          "vendor": "i18next",
          "versions": [
            {
              "status": "affected",
              "version": "\u003c 3.9.7"
            }
          ]
        }
      ],
      "descriptions": [
        {
          "lang": "en",
          "value": "i18next-http-middleware is a middleware to be used with Node.js web frameworks like express or Fastify and also for Deno. In versions prior to 3.9.7, the missingKeyHandler blocked the literal request-body keys __proto__, constructor, and prototype (added in 3.9.3, see GHSA-5fgg-jcpf-8jjw), but did not reject dotted variants such as \"__proto__.polluted\". Downstream backends that split the missing-key string on a configured keySeparator (notably i18next-fs-backend \u2264 2.6.5) hand these keys to an unguarded setPath() walker that writes to Object.prototype. Applications that expose missingKeyHandler to untrusted input AND use i18next-fs-backend \u2264 2.6.5 are directly exploitable for remote prototype pollution. Other downstream backends that split the missing-key string the same way may be similarly affected. Depending on the host application, polluted prototype properties may cause crashes, corrupted translation behaviour, configuration poisoning, or bypasses of property-based security checks. This issue has been fixed in version 3.9.7.  If developers cannot upgrade immediately, they should do the following: do not expose missingKeyHandler to untrusted users (mount it behind authentication, or remove the route), add a request-body filter ahead of the handler that rejects any top-level key containing __proto__, constructor, or prototype after splitting on their configured keySeparator, and disable missing-key persistence (saveMissing: false) when accepting writes from untrusted input."
        }
      ],
      "metrics": [
        {
          "cvssV3_1": {
            "attackComplexity": "LOW",
            "attackVector": "NETWORK",
            "availabilityImpact": "HIGH",
            "baseScore": 9.1,
            "baseSeverity": "CRITICAL",
            "confidentialityImpact": "NONE",
            "integrityImpact": "HIGH",
            "privilegesRequired": "NONE",
            "scope": "UNCHANGED",
            "userInteraction": "NONE",
            "vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H",
            "version": "3.1"
          }
        }
      ],
      "problemTypes": [
        {
          "descriptions": [
            {
              "cweId": "CWE-1321",
              "description": "CWE-1321: Improperly Controlled Modification of Object Prototype Attributes (\u0027Prototype Pollution\u0027)",
              "lang": "en",
              "type": "CWE"
            }
          ]
        }
      ],
      "providerMetadata": {
        "dateUpdated": "2026-06-15T20:41:49.382Z",
        "orgId": "a0819718-46f1-4df5-94e2-005712e83aaa",
        "shortName": "GitHub_M"
      },
      "references": [
        {
          "name": "https://github.com/i18next/i18next-http-middleware/security/advisories/GHSA-f49m-vf83-692w",
          "tags": [
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          ],
          "url": "https://github.com/i18next/i18next-http-middleware/security/advisories/GHSA-f49m-vf83-692w"
        },
        {
          "name": "https://github.com/i18next/i18next-http-middleware/commit/7c6d26f137d3e940b8d229ca148bca38845faf49",
          "tags": [
            "x_refsource_MISC"
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          "url": "https://github.com/i18next/i18next-http-middleware/commit/7c6d26f137d3e940b8d229ca148bca38845faf49"
        }
      ],
      "source": {
        "advisory": "GHSA-f49m-vf83-692w",
        "discovery": "UNKNOWN"
      },
      "title": "i18next-http-middleware missingKeyHandler does not reject keys whose segments contain prototype-polluting names"
    }
  },
  "cveMetadata": {
    "assignerOrgId": "a0819718-46f1-4df5-94e2-005712e83aaa",
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    "cveId": "CVE-2026-48714",
    "datePublished": "2026-06-15T20:41:49.382Z",
    "dateReserved": "2026-05-22T18:47:27.755Z",
    "dateUpdated": "2026-06-16T14:50:29.087Z",
    "state": "PUBLISHED"
  },
  "dataType": "CVE_RECORD",
  "dataVersion": "5.2"
}

Sightings

Author	Source	Type	Date	Other

Nomenclature

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Confirmed: The vulnerability has been validated from an analyst's perspective.
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Patched: The vulnerability was observed as successfully patched by the user who reported the sighting.
Not exploited: The vulnerability was not observed as exploited by the user who reported the sighting.
Not confirmed: The user expressed doubt about the validity of the vulnerability.
Not patched: The vulnerability was not observed as successfully patched by the user who reported the sighting.

The MITRE ATT&CK techniques below are AI-generated suggestions, inferred from the description of the vulnerability by the CIRCL/vulnerability-attack-technique-classification-roberta-base model, served locally by ML-Gateway. They have not been verified by an analyst and are provided for guidance only.
The approach is described in our paper Mapping CVEs to MITRE ATT&CK Techniques: A Curated Gold-Set Classifier and the Limits of LLM-Assisted Label Expansion.
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