dbcve.org
Path TraversalWeakness · CWE-22

CVE-2026-41885

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-05-08
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
74/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
i18next-locize-backend is a simple i18next backend for locize.com which can be used in Node.js, in the browser and for Deno. Prior to version 9.0.2, i18next-locize-backend interpolates 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. This issue has been patched in version 9.0.2.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

The interpolate() helper in i18next-locize-backend versions before 9.0.2 directly substitutes lng, ns, projectId, and version parameters into URL templates without encoding or path-component validation. When these parameters are derived from user input (query params, cookies, headers, or URL), attackers can inject path traversal sequences or alter the outgoing request URL structure.

MitigationUpgrade i18next-locize-backend to version 9.0.2 or later which implements proper URL encoding and path-component validation in the interpolate helper.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

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

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check the installed version of i18next-locize-backend
    Run `npm list i18next-locize-backend` or inspect the "dependencies" section in your project's package.json file
    Affected if The version listed is below 9.0.2 (for example, 9.0.1, 9.0.0, 8.x, etc.)
  2. Locate usages of the interpolate helper in your codebase
    Search your codebase for calls to `interpolate` or imports from i18next-locize-backend, such as: `const { interpolate } = require('i18next-locize-backend')` or similar patterns
    Affected if The interpolate function is being called and the codebase uses i18next-locize-backend versions before 9.0.2
  3. Inspect how language, namespace, projectId, and version parameters are supplied to interpolate
    Review the code that invokes interpolate and trace where the lng, ns, projectId, and version arguments originate (query parameters, cookies, HTTP headers, URL segments, or user-controlled variables)
    Affected if Any of these parameters are sourced directly from untrusted user input without validation
  4. Verify if URL encoding or path validation is applied before interpolation
    Search the codebase for encoding functions like `encodeURIComponent`, `encodeURI`, or path validation logic applied to lng, ns, projectId, or version before they are passed to interpolate
    Affected if No encoding or validation is performed on these parameters before they are interpolated into URL templates

You are affected if i18next-locize-backend version is below 9.0.2 AND the interpolate helper is used with language, namespace, projectId, or version values derived from user input without validation.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade i18next-locize-backend to version 9.0.2 or later which implements proper URL encoding and path-component validation in the interpolate helper.

Recommended fix High confidence

9.0.2

  1. Update i18next-locize-backend dependency to version 9.0.2 or later
  2. Run npm update i18next-locize-backend or npm install i18next-locize-backend@^9.0.2
  3. Verify the installed version with npm list i18next-locize-backend
  4. Test that internationalization functionality continues to work correctly after the upgrade

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,720
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-41885 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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