GHSA-MGCP-MFP8-3Q45
Vulnerability from github – Published: 2026-04-22 20:28 – Updated: 2026-04-22 20:28Summary
Versions of i18next-locize-backend prior to 9.0.2 interpolate lng, ns, projectId, and version directly into the configured loadPath / privatePath / addPath / updatePath / getLanguagesPath URL templates with no path-component validation and no encoding. When an application exposes any of these values to user-controlled input (?lng= / ?ns= query parameters via i18next-browser-languagedetector, cookies, request headers, or a URL-derived projectId), a crafted value can change the structure of the outgoing request URL.
Affected call sites in lib/index.js (pre-patch): the interpolate() helper is used at the five URL-build sites — _readAny/read (line 415 for private, 426 for public), getLanguages (lines 271 and 296), and writePage (lines 616 and 622) for the missing-key and update POST paths. The helper interpolate in lib/utils.js substitutes raw values with no encoding.
Impact
An attacker who can influence lng, ns, projectId, or version can:
- Path traversal —
lng = '../../admin'againsthttps://api.locize.app/{{projectId}}/{{version}}/{{lng}}/{{ns}}changes the request URL path segment that reaches the locize CDN / API. - Query-string injection —
lng = 'en?x=y'appends an attacker-chosen query to the URL. - Fragment truncation —
lng = 'en#x'silently truncates the path in browser fetches. - URL-encoded bypass —
lng = 'en%2F..'leverages server-side decoding to reintroduce/...
The worst-case concrete impact is loading an unintended translation resource (potentially causing wrong content to render) and, when a custom loadPath is configured against an internal / file-scheme URL, SSRF or arbitrary-file read on the host running the backend.
Additionally, the pre-patch interpolate() function read data[key] without excluding prototype-chain properties — under prototype-pollution conditions in the same process, that path could pull values from Object.prototype into the URL.
Related fixes shipped in 9.0.2
- The
defaults()helper replacesfor...initeration withObject.keys()plus an explicit prototype-key guard so a pollutedObject.prototypecannot leak into the merged options object. - New
utils.interpolateUrl/isSafeUrlSegment/sanitizeLogValue/redactUrlCredentialshelpers mirror the pattern shipped ini18next-http-backend@3.0.5(see its advisory GHSA-q89c-q3h5-w34g).
Affected versions
All versions of i18next-locize-backend prior to 9.0.2.
Patch
Fixed in 9.0.2. lib/index.js now uses interpolateUrl() at every URL-build site and returns an error callback (or silently drops the queued write for writePage) when any interpolated value fails the safety check. Legitimate i18next language-code shapes (BCP-47, en_US, zh-Hant-HK, my-custom.ns, +-joined multi-language values) all pass.
Workarounds
No workaround short of upgrading. If you cannot upgrade immediately, sanitise lng / ns / projectId / version at your application boundary before passing them through to i18next — reject values containing .., /, \, ?, #, %, whitespace, control characters, and cap the length.
Credits
Discovered via an internal security audit of the i18next / locize ecosystem.
References
- CWE-22: Path Traversal
- CWE-74: Injection
- CWE-1321: Prototype Pollution (amplification path)
- Related advisory in the same ecosystem: GHSA-q89c-q3h5-w34g (i18next-http-backend)
{
"affected": [
{
"package": {
"ecosystem": "npm",
"name": "i18next-locize-backend"
},
"ranges": [
{
"events": [
{
"introduced": "0"
},
{
"fixed": "9.0.2"
}
],
"type": "ECOSYSTEM"
}
]
}
],
"aliases": [],
"database_specific": {
"cwe_ids": [
"CWE-22",
"CWE-74"
],
"github_reviewed": true,
"github_reviewed_at": "2026-04-22T20:28:27Z",
"nvd_published_at": null,
"severity": "MODERATE"
},
"details": "### Summary\n\nVersions of `i18next-locize-backend` prior to 9.0.2 interpolate `lng`, `ns`, `projectId`, and `version` directly into the configured `loadPath` / `privatePath` / `addPath` / `updatePath` / `getLanguagesPath` URL templates with no path-component validation and no encoding. When an application exposes any of these values to user-controlled input (`?lng=` / `?ns=` query parameters via `i18next-browser-languagedetector`, cookies, request headers, or a URL-derived `projectId`), a crafted value can change the structure of the outgoing request URL.\n\nAffected call sites in `lib/index.js` (pre-patch): the `interpolate()` helper is used at the five URL-build sites \u2014 `_readAny`/`read` (line 415 for private, 426 for public), `getLanguages` (lines 271 and 296), and `writePage` (lines 616 and 622) for the missing-key and update POST paths. The helper `interpolate` in `lib/utils.js` substitutes raw values with no encoding.\n\n### Impact\n\nAn attacker who can influence `lng`, `ns`, `projectId`, or `version` can:\n\n- **Path traversal** \u2014 `lng = \u0027../../admin\u0027` against `https://api.locize.app/{{projectId}}/{{version}}/{{lng}}/{{ns}}` changes the request URL path segment that reaches the locize CDN / API.\n- **Query-string injection** \u2014 `lng = \u0027en?x=y\u0027` appends an attacker-chosen query to the URL.\n- **Fragment truncation** \u2014 `lng = \u0027en#x\u0027` silently truncates the path in browser fetches.\n- **URL-encoded bypass** \u2014 `lng = \u0027en%2F..\u0027` leverages server-side decoding to reintroduce `/..`.\n\nThe worst-case concrete impact is loading an unintended translation resource (potentially causing wrong content to render) and, when a custom `loadPath` is configured against an internal / file-scheme URL, **SSRF or arbitrary-file read** on the host running the backend.\n\nAdditionally, the pre-patch `interpolate()` function read `data[key]` without excluding prototype-chain properties \u2014 under prototype-pollution conditions in the same process, that path could pull values from `Object.prototype` into the URL.\n\n### Related fixes shipped in 9.0.2\n\n- The `defaults()` helper replaces `for...in` iteration with `Object.keys()` plus an explicit prototype-key guard so a polluted `Object.prototype` cannot leak into the merged options object.\n- New `utils.interpolateUrl` / `isSafeUrlSegment` / `sanitizeLogValue` / `redactUrlCredentials` helpers mirror the pattern shipped in `i18next-http-backend@3.0.5` (see its advisory [GHSA-q89c-q3h5-w34g](https://github.com/i18next/i18next-http-backend/security/advisories/GHSA-q89c-q3h5-w34g)).\n\n### Affected versions\n\nAll versions of `i18next-locize-backend` prior to **9.0.2**.\n\n### Patch\n\nFixed in **9.0.2**. `lib/index.js` now uses `interpolateUrl()` at every URL-build site and returns an error callback (or silently drops the queued write for `writePage`) when any interpolated value fails the safety check. Legitimate i18next language-code shapes (BCP-47, `en_US`, `zh-Hant-HK`, `my-custom.ns`, `+`-joined multi-language values) all pass.\n\n### Workarounds\n\nNo workaround short of upgrading. If you cannot upgrade immediately, sanitise `lng` / `ns` / `projectId` / `version` at your application boundary before passing them through to i18next \u2014 reject values containing `..`, `/`, `\\`, `?`, `#`, `%`, whitespace, control characters, and cap the length.\n\n### Credits\n\nDiscovered via an internal security audit of the i18next / locize ecosystem.\n\n### References\n\n- [CWE-22: Path Traversal](https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/22.html)\n- [CWE-74: Injection](https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/74.html)\n- [CWE-1321: Prototype Pollution (amplification path)](https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/1321.html)\n- Related advisory in the same ecosystem: [GHSA-q89c-q3h5-w34g (i18next-http-backend)](https://github.com/i18next/i18next-http-backend/security/advisories/GHSA-q89c-q3h5-w34g)",
"id": "GHSA-mgcp-mfp8-3q45",
"modified": "2026-04-22T20:28:27Z",
"published": "2026-04-22T20:28:27Z",
"references": [
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://github.com/locize/i18next-locize-backend/security/advisories/GHSA-mgcp-mfp8-3q45"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://github.com/locize/i18next-locize-backend/commit/8f81ad4707aa0e90647fde4da5fbe5b23153c6e1"
},
{
"type": "PACKAGE",
"url": "https://github.com/locize/i18next-locize-backend"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://github.com/locize/i18next-locize-backend/releases/tag/v9.0.2"
}
],
"schema_version": "1.4.0",
"severity": [
{
"score": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N",
"type": "CVSS_V3"
}
],
"summary": "i18next-locize-backend has URL Injection via Unsanitized Path Parameters"
}
Sightings
| Author | Source | Type | Date |
|---|
Nomenclature
- Seen: The vulnerability was mentioned, discussed, or observed by the user.
- Confirmed: The vulnerability has been validated from an analyst's perspective.
- Published Proof of Concept: A public proof of concept is available for this vulnerability.
- Exploited: The vulnerability was observed as exploited by the user who reported the sighting.
- Patched: The vulnerability was observed as successfully patched by the user who reported the sighting.
- Not exploited: The vulnerability was not observed as exploited by the user who reported the sighting.
- Not confirmed: The user expressed doubt about the validity of the vulnerability.
- Not patched: The vulnerability was not observed as successfully patched by the user who reported the sighting.