CVE-2020-26291: Hostname spoofing in URI.js

Severity: medium (CVSS 6.5 v3.1)
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 1.7% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: none known
Published: 2020-12-31 · updated 2026-06-17
Weakness: CWE-20

Description

URI.js is a javascript URL mutation library (npm package urijs). In URI.js before version 1.19.4, the hostname can be spoofed by using a backslash (`\`) character followed by an at (`@`) character. If the hostname is used in security decisions, the decision may be incorrect. Depending on library usage and attacker intent, impacts may include allow/block list bypasses, SSRF attacks, open redirects, or other undesired behavior. For example the URL `https://expected-example.com\@observed-example.com` will incorrectly return `observed-example.com` if using an affected version. Patched versions correctly return `expected-example.com`. Patched versions match the behavior of other parsers which implement the WHATWG URL specification, including web browsers and Node's built-in URL class. Version 1.19.4 is patched against all known payload variants. Version 1.19.3 has a partial patch but is still vulnerable to a payload variant.]

Affected products

medialize/uri.js: before 1.19.4 — fixed in 1.19.4

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: medialize/uri.js 1.19.4. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

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