Summary
Hono: Proxy Helper does not remove response headers listed in the Connection header
The Proxy Helper (hono/proxy) does not remove response headers named by the origin's Connection header. Headers that the origin marked as connection-scoped are therefore forwarded to clients.
Details
Per RFC 9110 Section 7.6.1, an intermediary must remove the header fields listed in a message's Connection header field before forwarding the message, in addition to the well-known hop-by-hop headers. The proxy() function removed the well-known hop-by-hop headers (including Connection itself) from origin responses, but did not remove the headers that the response's Connection header field designated as connection-scoped.
This issue arises when an application proxies responses from an origin that declares additional, non-standard headers as hop-by-hop via the Connection response header.
Impact
A client may receive response headers that the origin intended only for its immediate peer. This may lead to:
- Disclosure of connection-scoped or internal metadata contained in such headers
This issue affects applications that use the Proxy Helper (hono/proxy) to forward responses from origins that list custom header names in their Connection response header. Applications whose origins only use the standard hop-by-hop headers are not affected.
CVE-2026-71849 has a CVSS score of 3.7 (Low). 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 (4.12.34); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
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. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2026-71849? CVE-2026-71849 is a low-severity security vulnerability in hono (npm), affecting versions >= 4.7.0, < 4.12.34. It is fixed in 4.12.34.
- How severe is CVE-2026-71849? CVE-2026-71849 has a CVSS score of 3.7 (Low). 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.
- Which versions of hono are affected by CVE-2026-71849? hono (npm) versions >= 4.7.0, < 4.12.34 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2026-71849? Yes. CVE-2026-71849 is fixed in 4.12.34. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2026-71849 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2026-71849 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
- What actually determines whether CVE-2026-71849 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.
- How do I fix CVE-2026-71849? Upgrade
honoto 4.12.34 or later.