8.8
HIGH CVSS 3.1
CVE-2026-49473
@cedar-policy/authorization-for-expressjs has an authorization bypass via query string manipulation
Description

@cedar-policy/authorization-for-expressjs is an open-source Express.js middleware that integrates Cedar authorization into Express applications by mapping HTTP requests to Cedar actions and evaluating authorization policies before allowing requests to proceed. Versions prior to 0.3.0 have an issue where, under certain circumstances, the middleware matches incoming requests against Cedar action mappings using req.originalUrl, which includes the query string, while Express routes requests using only the path component. The middleware uses req.originalUrl to match incoming requests against Cedar action mappings. In Express, req.originalUrl includes the query string, while route matching uses only the path. This creates a divergence between what Cedar authorizes and what Express executes. When an application defines separate actions for overlapping path prefixes with different authorization requirements (for example, GET /users for listing all users with admin-only access, and GET /users/{id} for retrieving a single user with any authenticated user access), an actor can append a query string to bypass the more restrictive policy. Sending GET /users/?x=1 causes the middleware to match against /users/{id} (with id parameter set to ?x=1) and evaluate the less restrictive action, while Express routes the request to the /users list handler. This allows inappropriate access to the more restrictive endpoint. This issue has been addressed in version 0.30. Some workarounds are available. Validate and sanitize incoming request paths before they reach the authorization middleware. Ensure that applications do not rely solely on the middleware for authorization when defining multiple actions on overlapping path prefixes with different permission levels.

INFO

Published Date :

Aug. 13, 2026, 12:17 a.m.

Last Modified :

Aug. 13, 2026, 12:17 a.m.

Remotely Exploit :

Yes !
Affected Products

The following products are affected by CVE-2026-49473 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 HIGH [email protected]
Solution
Update the middleware to version 0.30 or later to fix request path matching issues.
  • Update @cedar-policy/authorization-for-expressjs to version 0.30 or higher.
  • Validate and sanitize incoming request paths before authorization.
  • Avoid relying solely on middleware for authorization.
  • Review and adjust overlapping path prefix policies.
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-2026-49473.

URL Resource
https://github.com/cedar-policy/authorization-for-expressjs/releases/tag/v0.3.0
https://github.com/cedar-policy/authorization-for-expressjs/security/advisories/GHSA-g4w6-vmgf-xqvx
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration

While CVE identifies specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-49473 is associated with the following CWEs:

Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)

Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC) stores attack patterns, which are descriptions of the common attributes and approaches employed by adversaries to exploit the CVE-2026-49473 weaknesses.

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-2026-49473 vulnerability anywhere in the article.

The following table lists the changes that have been made to the CVE-2026-49473 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]

    Aug. 13, 2026

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added Affected [{'vendor': 'cedar-policy', 'product': 'authorization-for-expressjs', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '< 0.3.0'}]}]
    Added Description @cedar-policy/authorization-for-expressjs is an open-source Express.js middleware that integrates Cedar authorization into Express applications by mapping HTTP requests to Cedar actions and evaluating authorization policies before allowing requests to proceed. Versions prior to 0.3.0 have an issue where, under certain circumstances, the middleware matches incoming requests against Cedar action mappings using req.originalUrl, which includes the query string, while Express routes requests using only the path component. The middleware uses req.originalUrl to match incoming requests against Cedar action mappings. In Express, req.originalUrl includes the query string, while route matching uses only the path. This creates a divergence between what Cedar authorizes and what Express executes. When an application defines separate actions for overlapping path prefixes with different authorization requirements (for example, GET /users for listing all users with admin-only access, and GET /users/{id} for retrieving a single user with any authenticated user access), an actor can append a query string to bypass the more restrictive policy. Sending GET /users/?x=1 causes the middleware to match against /users/{id} (with id parameter set to ?x=1) and evaluate the less restrictive action, while Express routes the request to the /users list handler. This allows inappropriate access to the more restrictive endpoint. This issue has been addressed in version 0.30. Some workarounds are available. Validate and sanitize incoming request paths before they reach the authorization middleware. Ensure that applications do not rely solely on the middleware for authorization when defining multiple actions on overlapping path prefixes with different permission levels.
    Added CVSS V3.1 AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
    Added CWE CWE-436
    Added CWE CWE-863
    Added Reference https://github.com/cedar-policy/authorization-for-expressjs/releases/tag/v0.3.0
    Added Reference https://github.com/cedar-policy/authorization-for-expressjs/security/advisories/GHSA-g4w6-vmgf-xqvx
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.