High severity · published Jan 19, 2026
CVE-2026-22037
@fastify/express vulnerable to Improper Handling of URL Encoding (Hex Encoding)
8.4
CVSS
0.3%
EPSS
No
On KEV
Description
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.
CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:L
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
High
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
Low
Scope
Changed
Exploitation
Is it being used?
Exploit prediction (EPSS)0.3% · higher than 28% of CVEs
Exploited in the wildNo evidence yet
CISA KEVNot listed
Ransomware campaign useNot known
Affected products
Which versions
FA
fastify-express · fastify
< 4.0.3 · source: vendor
References
NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-22037
CVE.org
https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-22037
github.com
https://github.com/fastify/fastify-express/commit/dc02a3fe1387f945143f22597baa42557d549a40
github.com
https://github.com/fastify/fastify-express/security/advisories/GHSA-g6q3-96cp-5r5m
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