CVE Intelligence
Critical Access control

CVE-2026-6556 — @fastify/express vulnerable to middleware bypass via non-string mount paths in prefixed plugins

@fastify/express versions 4.0.6 and earlier only rewrite the plugin prefix for middleware mount paths when the path argument is a string. Non-string mount paths (arrays of paths and regular expressions) are left unprefixed inside prefixed plugin scopes, so middleware registered with those forms does not match the actual prefixed request path. Applications that use path-scoped middleware for authentication, authorization, rate limiting, or auditing on routes inside a prefixed scope can be bypassed by sending a request to the prefixed route, because Fastify still matches the route but the middleware is skipped. Patches: upgrade to @fastify/express 4.0.7. Workarounds: use string mount paths instead of arrays or regular expressions in prefixed plugins, or register one use call per path.

Published Jun 30, 2026 · Updated Oct 13, 2026 · Sources: NIST National Vulnerability Database, CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP · CNA: openjs

Who exploits it and how urgent it is

A 0–100 score combining confirmed exploitation, ransomware and APT use, public exploits, EPSS and severity.

No exploitation signal in the sources consulted so far.
How the score was calculated
  • EPSS 0.5% (30-day exploitation probability)+6
  • Technical severity (critical)+10
  • Automatable exploitation (SSVC)+3

The score orders the patch queue; it does not replace your asset context (internet exposure, criticality, compensating controls).

Triage

Is it exploited, how likely is exploitation, what does it touch, and how severe do the sources call it.

Exploitation
Not confirmed
Not in CISA KEV — an absence of record, not proof it is unexploited.
EPSS FIRST
0.52%
ahead of 43% of scored CVEs · Oct 14, 2026
Affects
@fastify/express
@fastify/express and 1 more
CVSS base
9.1
Critical · 2 source(s)

CISA SSVC assessment CISA

Three decision points CISA publishes for the CVEs it assesses (SSVC 2.0.3). A stakeholder decision, not a severity score.

Exploitation
None
none · proof-of-concept · active
Automatable
Yes
can an attacker script the kill-chain steps
Technical impact
Total
partial · total control of the vulnerable component

Remediation

Fixes and mitigations documented by the sources — linked to the original advisory.

  • Documented mitigation — github.com (NIST National Vulnerability Database)

First 24 hours

Ordered from the record’s own fields — exposure first, because you cannot patch what you have not found. A rule-generated starting point.

  1. Identify exposed assets running the affected vendor/product/version combinations (@fastify/express @fastify/express, Fastify Fastify/express).
  2. The attack is network-based and needs no privileges: restrict exposure (ACLs, VPN, WAF) until patched.
  3. Apply the documented mitigations until a definitive fix is available.
  4. Search available logs for exploit probes matching the vulnerability class (access control), errors and authentication anomalies.

Affected scope

Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.

VendorProductVersionsStatusSource
@fastify/express @fastify/express < 4.0.7 Vulnerable CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
Fastify Fastify/express < 4.0.7 Vulnerable NIST National Vulnerability Database

Attack characteristics

The CVSS vector, decoded. It describes the attack, not your exposure to it.

Attack vector
Network
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
None

Every base score collected

Sources score independently and may disagree; each row says who scored it and under which version.

ScoreVersionSeverityExpl.ImpactScored by
9.1 CVSS 3.1 Critical 3.9 5.2 ce714d77-add3-4f53-aff5-83d477b104bb via NIST National Vulnerability Database
9.1 CVSS 3.1 Critical — — openjs via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N (score shown at the top: ce714d77-add3-4f53-aff5-83d477b104bb)

Weakness MITRE

Weakness class according to MITRE’s CWE catalog.

CWE-285 · Improper Authorization

Other CVEs with this weakness →

EPSS over time FIRST

Oct 13, 2026 → Oct 14, 2026 · 2 reading(s) · max 0.52%

Detection

Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not tested rules.

  • Prioritize edge telemetry for the network-reachable component (proxy, WAF, IDS/IPS).
  • Audit administrative actions and access to resources outside each user’s normal pattern.
web/proxy/WAF logsnetwork IDS/IPSauthentication logsapplication logs

Analysis and videos

CVE-2026-6556: Fastify @fastify/express Path-Scoped Middleware Bypass via Non-String Mount Paths
Versions of @fastify/express up to 4.0.6 fail to apply the plugin prefix to middleware mount paths given as arrays or regular expressions. Middleware scoped to routes inside prefixed plugins can therefore be skipped, which the record describes as a bypass of authentication, authorization, rate limiting or auditing controls. The record points to version 4.0.7 as the patched release and no confirmed exploitation appears in the sources consulted.

Timeline

What happened to this CVE, newest first.

  • 2026
  • Affected products added · @fastify/express/@fastify/express
    Oct 13, 2026 · CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
  • SSVC assessment updated
    Oct 13, 2026 · CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
  • Record published
    Oct 13, 2026
  • Fix documented
    Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • CVSS changed · 9.1
    Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • Source status changed · → Analyzed
    Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • Record created in this database
    Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • CVE published
    Jun 30, 2026 · openjs

Source activity

Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.

  • 1× Official description updated · Oct 13, 2026 – Oct 13, 2026

References

2 on the record

Elsewhere on this site

@fastify/express
every CVE for this vendor
Access control
same class
CWE-285
other pages naming this weakness

Related CVEs (same products)

  • CVE-2026-33807 @fastify/express vulnerable to middleware path doubling causing authentication bypass in child plugin scopes Apr 15, 2026
  • CVE-2026-33808 @fastify/express vulnerable to middleware authentication bypass via URL normalization gaps (duplicate slashes and semicolons) Apr 15, 2026
  • CVE-2026-22037 @fastify/express vulnerable to Improper Handling of URL Encoding (Hex Encoding) Jan 19, 2026

Not in any source we poll

Listed rather than left blank: an empty field and an unmeasured one look identical on screen, and only one is a reason to look elsewhere.

  • No confirmed IOCs, IP addresses, domains, file hashes, or malware artifacts supplied.
  • No organization-specific asset inventory, compensating-control status, or patch deployment evidence supplied.
  • No exploit packet captures, log samples, or incident case IDs supplied.

Answered from this record

Text assembled only from the fields above — no additional claims.

What should defenders know first?

CVE-2026-6556 is "@fastify/express vulnerable to middleware bypass via non-string mount paths in prefixed plugins", rated Critical. It affects @fastify/express (@fastify/express); versions are in the scope table. It is not in CISA KEV, which does not rule out exploitation. CVSS 9.1 describes technical severity. EPSS 0.52% estimates the probability of exploitation in 30 days; neither replaces your asset context. First verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run the affected versions, apply vendor fixes or mitigations, and preserve logs for review.

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