CVE-2026-69207 — Hono: ReDoS in CORS middleware via Access-Control-Request-Headers
Hono is a Web application framework that provides support for any JavaScript runtime. Prior to 4.12.34, the built-in CORS middleware, hono/cors, is vulnerable to a regular expression denial of service (ReDoS). During a preflight OPTIONS request, the middleware parses the attacker-controlled Access-Control-Request-Headers header using a whitespace-tolerant regular expression whose backtracking makes its running time quadratic in the input length. Because the header value is bounded only by the deployment's maximum HTTP header size, a single preflight carrying a long run of whitespace can consume seconds of CPU and block request processing. On runtimes that share one execution thread across requests, this stalls concurrent requests as well, and repeated requests can render the service unresponsive. This affects the default configuration, since the vulnerable path is reached whenever cors() is used with an unset or empty allowHeaders. Applications that set a non-empty allowHeaders are not affected. This issue is fixed in version 4.12.34.
Who exploits it and how urgent it is
A 0–100 score combining confirmed exploitation, ransomware and APT use, public exploits, EPSS and severity.
How the score was calculated
- Technical severity (medium)+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.
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.
Remediation
Fixes and mitigations documented by the sources — linked to the original advisory.
No fix documented by the sources we poll. That does not mean none exists: check the vendor advisory.
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.
- Identify exposed assets running the affected vendor/product/version combinations (Honojs Hono).
- The attack is network-based and needs no privileges: restrict exposure (ACLs, VPN, WAF) until patched.
- No fix documented in the sources: reduce exposure and monitor the vendor advisory.
- Search available logs for exploit probes matching the vulnerability class (denial of service), errors and authentication anomalies.
Affected scope
Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.
Attack characteristics
The CVSS vector, decoded. It describes the attack, not your exposure to it.
Every base score collected
Sources score independently and may disagree; each row says who scored it and under which version.
| Score | Version | Severity | Expl. | Impact | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5.3 | CVSS 3.1 | Medium | 3.9 | 1.4 | security-advisories@github.com via NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| 5.3 | CVSS 3.1 | Medium | — | — | GitHub_M via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP |
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L (score shown at the top: security-advisories@github.com) Weakness MITRE
Weakness class according to MITRE’s CWE catalog.
CWE-1333 · Inefficient Regular Expression Complexity (ReDoS)
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).
- Track CPU/memory spikes and availability drops correlated with request patterns.
Timeline
What happened to this CVE, newest first.
- 2026
- Affected products added · honojs/hono
- SSVC assessment updated
- Record published
- CVSS changed · 5.3
- Source status changed · → Deferred
- Record created in this database
- CVE published
Source activity
Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.
- 1× Official description updated · Oct 15, 2026 – Oct 15, 2026
References
3 on the record
Elsewhere on this site
Related CVEs (same products)
- Medium CVE-2026-109955 Hono 4.12.4 before 4.13.11 Middleware Bypass via serveStatic Double Decoding 2d
- Medium CVE-2026-71850 Hono: `memo()` retains SSR output across requests, leading to cross-user data disclosure Aug 7, 2026
- Low CVE-2026-71849 Hono: Proxy Helper does not remove response headers listed in the `Connection` header Aug 7, 2026
- Medium CVE-2026-71848 Hono: Algorithmic Complexity DoS in Language Middleware Aug 7, 2026
- Medium CVE-2026-59895 Hono: Server-Side XSS via JSX Escaping Bypass in cx() Utility Jul 8, 2026
- Medium CVE-2026-59897 Hono: API Gateway v1 adapter can drop a distinct repeated request header value during de-duplication Jul 8, 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 FIRST EPSS score.
- No fixed version, patch or mitigation documented.
- 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-2026-69207 is "Hono: ReDoS in CORS middleware via Access-Control-Request-Headers", rated Medium. It affects Hono (Honojs); versions are in the scope table. It is not in CISA KEV, which does not rule out exploitation. CVSS 5.3 describes technical severity. First verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run the affected versions, apply vendor fixes or mitigations, and preserve logs for review.
Comments
Moderated technical discussion. Read the community guidelines.
No comments yet.
Sign in or create an account to comment and suggest corrections.