9.1
CRITICAL CVSS 3.1
CVE-2026-48714
i18next-http-middleware missingKeyHandler does not reject keys whose segments contain prototype-polluting names
Description

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.

INFO

Published Date :

June 15, 2026, 10:16 p.m.

Last Modified :

June 16, 2026, 3:46 p.m.

Remotely Exploit :

Yes !
Affected Products

The following products are affected by CVE-2026-48714 vulnerability. Even if cvefeed.io is aware of the exact versions of the products that are affected, the information is not represented in the table below.

No affected product recoded yet

CVSS Scores
The Common Vulnerability Scoring System is a standardized framework for assessing the severity of vulnerabilities in software and systems. We collect and displays CVSS scores from various sources for each CVE.
Score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Score Impact Score Source
CVSS 3.1 CRITICAL [email protected]
CVSS 3.1 CRITICAL MITRE-CVE
Solution
Update i18next-http-middleware to 3.9.7 or later to fix prototype pollution.
  • Update i18next-http-middleware to version 3.9.7.
  • Limit exposure of missingKeyHandler to trusted users.
  • Filter request bodies for prototype pollution keywords.
  • Disable missing-key persistence with untrusted input.
References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools

Here, you will find a curated list of external links that provide in-depth information, practical solutions, and valuable tools related to CVE-2026-48714.

URL Resource
https://github.com/i18next/i18next-http-middleware/commit/7c6d26f137d3e940b8d229ca148bca38845faf49
https://github.com/i18next/i18next-http-middleware/security/advisories/GHSA-f49m-vf83-692w
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration

While CVE identifies specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-48714 is associated with the following CWEs:

Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)

We scan GitHub repositories to detect new proof-of-concept exploits. Following list is a collection of public exploits and proof-of-concepts, which have been published on GitHub (sorted by the most recently updated).

Results are limited to the first 15 repositories due to potential performance issues.

The following list is the news that have been mention CVE-2026-48714 vulnerability anywhere in the article.

The following table lists the changes that have been made to the CVE-2026-48714 vulnerability over time.

Vulnerability history details can be useful for understanding the evolution of a vulnerability, and for identifying the most recent changes that may impact the vulnerability's severity, exploitability, or other characteristics.

  • New CVE Received by [email protected]

    Jun. 15, 2026

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added Description 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.
    Added CVSS V3.1 AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H
    Added CWE CWE-1321
    Added Reference https://github.com/i18next/i18next-http-middleware/commit/7c6d26f137d3e940b8d229ca148bca38845faf49
    Added Reference https://github.com/i18next/i18next-http-middleware/security/advisories/GHSA-f49m-vf83-692w
EPSS is a daily estimate of the probability of exploitation activity being observed over the next 30 days. Following chart shows the EPSS score history of the vulnerability.