CVE-2026-22037 | @fastify/express vulnerable to Improper Handling of URL Encoding (Hex Encoding)

The @fastify/express plugin adds full Express compatibility to Fastify. A security vulnerability exists in @fastify/express prior to version 4.0.3 where middleware registered with a specific path prefix can be bypassed using URL-encoded characters (e.g., `/%61dmin` instead of `/admin`). While the middleware engine fails to match the encoded path and skips execution, the underlying Fastify router correctly decodes the path and matches the route handler, allowing attackers to access protected endpoints without the middleware constraints. The vulnerability is caused by how @fastify/express matches requests against registered middleware paths. This vulnerability is similar to, but differs from, CVE-2026-22031 because this is a different npm module with its own code. Version 4.0.3 of @fastify/express contains a patch fort the issue.

Published: 2026-01-19 Last update: 2026-04-15 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]

Conclusion & alert: CVE-2026-22037 is rated Low Risk (36.5/100): CVSS High severity, with low exploitation likelihood (EPSS 0.03%). Mandatory action: Monitor for updates and reassess as exploit intelligence or EPSS changes.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2026-22037

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2026-04-21 0.06% 0.03% -0.03%
2 2026-01-20 0.06%

Full EPSS history (2 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2026-22037

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
8.4 3.1 HIGH
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:L Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:H)
Even with access, the exploit needs extra luck, timing, or a fussy environment to actually work.
Privileges required (PR:L)
A normal user session is enough; they don’t have to be admin.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:C)
Breaking this can reach past the original component and bite other resources—bigger blast radius.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:L)
Might cause slowdowns, glitches, or partial disruption—not a full brick.
1.8 6.0 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2026-22037

GitHub Security Advisory for CVE-2026-22037

GHSA-g6q3-96cp-5r5m · Severity: high · Ecosystem: npm — @fastify/express vulnerable to Improper Handling of URL Encoding (Hex Encoding)

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2026-22037

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
No affected products in dataset.

References for CVE-2026-22037

cvelogic Threat Intelligence