CVE-2026-48714: i18next-http-middleware: MissingKeyHandler does not reject keys whose segments contain prototype-polluting names

Should you act?

Critical and remotely reachable

No known exploitation yet, but it is network-reachable without credentials. This signal is computed from CISA KEV, EPSS and CVSS data; it is not an editorial verdict.

• No confirmed exploitation. It is not in CISA’s KEV catalog and CISA’s SSVC assessment records no known exploitation. That can change quickly after a public write-up; re-check if you are affected.
• EPSS 0.7%, percentile 51: FIRST’s model estimates a 0.7% chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, higher than 51% of all scored CVEs (moderate). EPSS is a probability, not a verdict.
• Remotely reachable with no login and no user interaction. If the vulnerable service is exposed to the internet, prioritize it.
• Only applies if your dependency tree includes i18next-http-middleware (npm) < 3.9.7, fixed in 3.9.7. Check your lockfile, including transitive dependencies.

What it is

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.

From the GitHub advisory

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

Weakness type: CWE-1321.

Product: i18next-http-middleware (npm) · Assigned by: GitHub_M · Published: 2026-06-15

Affected and fixed versions

Severity scores

• Attack vector: network (remotely reachable)
• Attack complexity: low
• Privileges required: none (no login)
• User interaction: none
• Scope: unchanged

CVSS measures how bad a flaw is if exploited, not how likely exploitation is. Read it next to the exploitation data below.

Exploitation and urgency

• CISA KEV: not listed (no confirmed in-the-wild exploitation known to CISA).
• CISA SSVC assessment: exploitation none, automatable yes, technical impact partial.
• FIRST EPSS (model of 2026-10-21): 0.66% probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 51.

Timeline

• 2026-06-15 — CVE record published by GitHub_M
• 2026-06-16 — CVE record last updated
• 2026-06-25 — GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-f49m-vf83-692w published (critical)

Sources and references

Original sources first. Version and fix details should always be confirmed against the vendor or project advisory.

Vulnerability records

1. GitHub Advisory GHSA-f49m-vf83-692w github.com
2. CVE.org record CVE-2026-48714 cve.org
3. NVD entry CVE-2026-48714 nvd.nist.gov

Other references from the CVE record and advisory

1. github.com github.com
2. github.com github.com

Critical npm advisories · Today’s Security Digest