@hono/node-server: Middleware bypass via repeated slashes in serveStatic

Description

Summary

A path handling inconsistency in serveStatic allows protected static files to be accessed by using repeated slashes (//) in the request path.

When route-based middleware (e.g., /admin/*) is used for authorization, the router may not match paths containing repeated slashes, while serveStatic resolves them as normalized paths. This can lead to a middleware bypass.

Details

The routing layer and serveStatic handle repeated slashes differently.

For example:

  • /admin/secret.txt => matches /admin/*
  • //admin/secret.txt => may not match /admin/*

This inconsistency allows a request such as:

GET //admin/secret.txt

to bypass middleware registered on /admin/* and access protected files.

Impact

An attacker can access static files that are intended to be protected by route-based middleware by using repeated slashes in the request path.

This can lead to unauthorized access to sensitive files under the static root.

This issue affects applications that rely on serveStatic together with route-based middleware for access control.

Basic information

Type
reviewed
Severity
medium
Advisory on GitHub
Open advisory ↗
Repository advisory
Open repository advisory ↗
Source code
Browse source ↗
Published (advisory)
2026-04-08 00:16:39 UTC
Updated
2026-04-08 15:34:25 UTC
GitHub reviewed
2026-04-08 00:16:39 UTC
NVD published
2026-04-08

EPSS Score

Score Percentile
0.05% 15.43%

CVSS Scores

Base score Version Severity Vector
5.3 3.1
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N 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:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:N)
No account or special rights needed—anonymous or random user is enough.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:L)
Some sensitive info could get out, but not a total data dump.
Integrity (I:N)
Data isn’t meaningfully altered or forged.
Availability (A:N)
Service keeps running; no real outage angle.

Identifiers

CWEs

CWE id Name
CWE-22 Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')

Affected packages (1)

Vulnerable version ranges and first patched releases as published by GitHub.

Ecosystem Package Vulnerable range First patched Vulnerable functions
npm @hono/node-server < 1.19.13 1.19.13

References

cvelogic Threat Intelligence