CVE-2026-86818

fast-uri vulnerable to mailto header injection via percent-encoded field-name desynchronization

Workarounds

Percent-decode and compare mailto field names case-insensitively before trusting parse().to, or re-check the recipient list on the serialized output rather than only on the initial parse, until upgrading.

fast-uri's mailto scheme parser compares each query field name to the reserved names (to, subject, body) while the name is still percent-encoded, and only percent-decodes it when storing it as a generic header. On serialize, the decoded name is re-emitted, so a field name such as %74o (percent-encoded to) is not recognized as a recipient at parse time (parse().to shows only the legitimate recipient) but materializes as a literal to= field after serialize(), and reparsing then treats it as a recipient. The same technique smuggles subject and body through %73ubject and %62ody.

An application that parses an untrusted mailto URI, makes a display, allowlist, or logging decision on parse().to, then re-serializes the result and passes the serialized string to a mail client or an outbound send path can gain an attacker-chosen recipient, subject, or body that was not visible when the recipient list was checked. A scanner inspecting the raw input for an extra to= sees nothing, because the injected field appears only after fast-uri serializes.

CVE-2026-86818 has a CVSS score of 4.8 (Medium). 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 (4.1.5); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Kodem intelligence

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Upgrade to fast-uri 4.1.5.

1. What is CVE-2026-86818? CVE-2026-86818 is a medium-severity security vulnerability in fast-uri (npm), affecting versions >= 4.1.3, < 4.1.5. It is fixed in 4.1.5.
2. How severe is CVE-2026-86818? CVE-2026-86818 has a CVSS score of 4.8 (Medium). 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 fast-uri are affected by CVE-2026-86818? fast-uri (npm) versions >= 4.1.3, < 4.1.5 is affected.
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2026-86818? Yes. CVE-2026-86818 is fixed in 4.1.5. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is CVE-2026-86818 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2026-86818 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-2026-86818 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-2026-86818? Upgrade fast-uri to 4.1.5 or later.

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