CVE-2026-48618: nodejs node Improper Handling of Unicode Encoding
Vulnerability summary
CVE-2026-48618 is a high (CVSS 7.7) Improper Handling of Unicode Encoding vulnerability in nodejs node. EPSS estimates a 3.14% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 87.9% of scored vulnerabilities.
Not severe (CVSS 7.7, network access); no exploitation reported by the 5 checked sources
Source freshness unavailable
How is this decided?Advisory lineage
Upstream 0 · Downstream 29 · Related 15Timeline
- 26-06-2026PublishedVulnerability first disclosed.
- 10-08-2026Last modifiedVulnerability information updated.
Description
A flaw in Node.js TLS hostname handling can cause Node.js unicode dot separator handling can lead to tls wildcard-depth authentication bypass due to resolver and verifier hostname normalization mismat. This can lead to confidentiality impact or bypass of the intended security boundary under affected configurations. This vulnerability affects all supported release lines: **Node.js 22**, **Node.js 24**, and **Node.js 26**.
CVSS metrics
8 scores · 5 sources · 2 versions- OSV · AlpineEcosystem advisory · calculated6.5MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:NDiffers
- OSV · UbuntuEcosystem advisory · calculated7.7HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N
- OSV · DebianEcosystem advisory · calculated6.5MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:NDiffers
- NVDNIST6.5MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:NDiffers
- OSV · UbuntuEcosystem advisory · calculated7.7HighCVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N
- NVDNIST7.7HighCVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N
EPSS trend
Probability
3.14%
Chance of exploitation in the next 30 days
Percentile
88%
Versus all other CVEs
30-day change
Decrease -0.09 pp
From 3.23% on 04-10-2026
Known exploited
Compare KEV catalogs
CISA KEVNot in the CISA KEV catalog.
ENISA CNWNot in the ENISA CNW catalog.
CIRCLNot in the CIRCL catalog.
Public exploits
0 foundNo public exploits indexed.
Weaknesses
CWE · root cause- CWE-176Improper Handling of Unicode EncodingThe product does not properly handle when an input contains Unicode encoding.
- CWE-289Authentication Bypass by Alternate NameThe product performs authentication based on the name of a resource being accessed, or the name of the actor performing the access, but it does not properly check all possible names for that resource or actor.
Affected systems
Known conditions: network-reachable, low-privilege account, no user interaction (CVSS vector). Other conditions: not stated in public data.
Alpine1 product
- nodejs< 22.23.0-r0 | < 24.17.0-r0
Debian1 product
- nodejs< 18.20.4+dfsg-1~deb12u3 | < 20.19.2+dfsg-1+deb13u3 | < 24.17.0+dfsg+~cs24.13.2-1
Ubuntu1 product
- nodejsAll versions (No fix recorded)
4 vendors · 5 products
