Medium File handling

CVE-2026-86251 — h3 before 1.15.9 Path Traversal via Double Decoding

h3 versions before 1.15.9 contain a path traversal vulnerability in the serveStatic utility. A double-decoding flaw allows a request path containing double-encoded dot sequences (e.g. %252e%252e) to be decoded to %2e%2e, which survives resolveDotSegments() because that function only checks for literal '.' characters. When the resulting asset ID is resolved by URL-based backends (CDN, S3, object storage), %2e%2e is interpreted as '..' per RFC 3986, enabling path traversal to read arbitrary files from the backend.

Published Sep 6, 2026 · Updated Oct 15, 2026 · Sources: NIST National Vulnerability Database, CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP · CNA: VulnCheck

Low

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

Technical severity (medium)+3
CISA SSVC: exploitation "poc"+5

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

—

No EPSS score.

Affects

H3js

CVSS base

5.9

Medium · 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

Proof of concept

none · proof-of-concept · active

Automatable

can an attacker script the kill-chain steps

Technical impact

Partial

partial · total control of the vulnerable component

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 (H3js H3).
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 (file handling), errors and authentication anomalies.

Affected scope

Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.

Vendor	Product	Versions	Status	Source
H3js	H3	< 1.15.9	Vulnerable	CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP

Attack characteristics

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

Attack vector

Network

Attack complexity

High

Privileges required

None

User interaction

None

Scope

Unchanged

Confidentiality

High

Integrity

None

Availability

None

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
8.2	CVSS 4.0	High	—	—	disclosure@vulncheck.com via NIST National Vulnerability Database
8.2	CVSS 4.0	High	—	—	VulnCheck via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
5.9	CVSS 3.1	Medium	2.2	3.6	disclosure@vulncheck.com via NIST National Vulnerability Database
5.9	CVSS 3.1	Medium	—	—	VulnCheck via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N (score shown at the top: disclosure@vulncheck.com)

Weakness MITRE

Weakness class according to MITRE’s CWE catalog.

CWE-22 · Path Traversal

Other CVEs with this weakness →

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).
Monitor file creation in web directories and paths with traversal sequences (../).

web/proxy/WAF logsnetwork IDS/IPSfile integrity (FIM)endpoint telemetry (EDR)

Timeline

What happened to this CVE, newest first.

2026
Affected products added · h3js/h3
Oct 15, 2026 · CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
SSVC assessment updated
Oct 15, 2026 · CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
Record published
Oct 15, 2026
CVSS changed · 5.9
Oct 15, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
Source status changed · → Awaiting Analysis
Oct 15, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
Record created in this database
Oct 15, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
CVE published
Sep 6, 2026 · VulnCheck

Source activity

Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.

1× Official description updated · Oct 15, 2026 – Oct 15, 2026

References

2 on the record

github.com/h3js/h3/security/advisories/GHSA-72gr-qfp7-vwhw
vendor-advisory, NIST National Vulnerability Database
www.vulncheck.com/advisories/h3-before-1.15.9-path-traversal-via-double-decoding
third-party-advisory, NIST National Vulnerability Database

Elsewhere on this site

H3js
every CVE for this vendor

File handling
same class

CWE-22
other pages naming this weakness

Related CVEs (same products)

Medium CVE-2026-86252 h3 before 1.15.9 SSE Event Injection via Carriage Return Sep 6, 2026
Medium CVE-2026-86253 h3 before 1.15.6 Path Traversal via Percent-Encoded Dot Segments Sep 6, 2026
Medium CVE-2026-86205 h3 before 2.0.1-rc.18 Open Redirect via redirectBack() Sep 6, 2026
High CVE-2026-86250 h3 before 2.0.1-rc.18 Denial of Service via Unbounded Chunked Cookie Sep 6, 2026
Medium CVE-2026-33490 h3: Missing Path Segment Boundary Check in `mount()` Causes Middleware Execution on Unrelated Prefix-Matching Routes Mar 26, 2026
Critical CVE-2026-33131 h3 has a middleware bypass with one gadget Mar 20, 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-2026-86251 is "h3 before 1.15.9 Path Traversal via Double Decoding", rated Medium. It affects H3 (H3js); versions are in the scope table. It is not in CISA KEV, which does not rule out exploitation. CVSS 5.9 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.

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