CVE-2026-86818: fast-uri Encoding Error

Vulnerability summary

CVE-2026-86818 is a medium (CVSS 4.8) Encoding Error vulnerability in fast-uri. EPSS estimates a 0.25% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 15.7% of scored vulnerabilities.

Timeline

1. 15-09-2026
   PublishedVulnerability first disclosed.
2. 15-09-2026
   Last modifiedVulnerability information updated.

Description

fast-uri is a dependency-free RFC 3986 URI parser for Node.js, used by Fastify and ajv, that added a mailto scheme parser in version 4.1.3. In versions 4.1.3 and 4.1.4, the mailto parser compares each query field name to the reserved names to, subject, and body while the name is still percent-encoded, and decodes it only when storing it as a generic header, so a percent-encoded spelling of a reserved field name is not recognized as that field at parse time but is re-emitted as the literal field name when the parsed URI is serialized. An application that validates, logs, or displays the recipient list from the first parse and then serializes the URI and sends it can silently gain an attacker-chosen recipient, and the subject and body fields can be smuggled across the same roundtrip. The issue is fixed in fast-uri 4.1.5, and users should upgrade to 4.1.5 or later. As a workaround, do not act on a mailto URI that fast-uri has re-serialized without first decoding and re-validating its recipient, subject, and body fields.

• CWE-172Encoding ErrorThe product does not properly encode or decode the data, resulting in unexpected values.
• CWE-436Interpretation ConflictProduct A handles inputs or steps differently than Product B, which causes A to perform incorrect actions based on its perception of B's state.