Cross-origin browser requests via unescaped Link fields
Published Aug 18, 2026 · Updated Aug 18, 2026
Output-escaping flaw in cow_link in Nine Nines Cowlib 2.9.0 and later lets attackers smuggle Link directives via crafted fields. The cow_link:do_link/1 serializer writes target URIs and rel values into a Link header without validation and emits attribute keys verbatim, so >, ", , whitespace, and = break header grammar and inject new directives. Reachability depends on an application feeding attacker-influenced parsed Link data back into cow_link:link/1; when that pattern exists, victim browsers can be driven to preconnect, preload, or prerender attacker-controlled origins.
Summary
What happened
Output-escaping flaw in cow_link in Nine Nines Cowlib 2.9.0 and later lets attackers smuggle Link directives via crafted fields. The cow_link:do_link/1 serializer writes target URIs and rel values into a Link header without validation and emits attribute keys verbatim, so >, ", , whitespace, and = break header grammar and inject new directives. Reachability depends on an application feeding attacker-influenced parsed Link data back into cow_link:link/1; when that pattern exists, victim browsers can be driven to preconnect, preload, or prerender attacker-controlled origins.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-43971
- Published
- Aug 18, 2026
- Updated
- Aug 18, 2026
- Vendor
- Nine Nines
- Product
- Cowlib
- Classifications
- CWE-116
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Aug 18, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Aug 18, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=2.9.0 <*
- Affected versionversion=485d58dfa91b91d98135dc95e5615f421715dae5 <89da27ee4c241f5d649ba7d9b7f2188918af6cea
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
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Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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