CVE-2026-27959 HIGH

CVE-2026-27959: Koa has Host Header Injection via `ctx.hostname`

Vendor Koajs
Product koa
Weakness CWE-20 · Input validation
Published February 26, 2026
Last update June 30, 2026

CVSS base score

7.5/10
Attack vector Network
Attack complexity Low
Privileges required None
User interaction None
Confidentiality None
Integrity High

CVSS vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N

What the vulnerability does

01Description

Koa is middleware for Node.js using ES2017 async functions. Prior to versions 3.1.2 and 2.16.4, Koa's `ctx.hostname` API performs naive parsing of the HTTP Host header, extracting everything before the first colon without validating the input conforms to RFC 3986 hostname syntax. When a malformed Host header containing a `@` symbol is received, `ctx.hostname` returns `evil[.]com` - an attacker-controlled value. Applications using `ctx.hostname` for URL generation, password reset links, email verification URLs, or routing decisions are vulnerable to Host header injection attacks. Versions 3.1.2 and 2.16.4 fix the issue.

Key dates

02Disclosure timeline

February 26, 2026 CVE published
June 30, 2026 Record updated