CVE-2026-114130 in Nuxt
Summary
by MITRE • 10/22/2026
Nuxt is an open-source web development framework for Vue.js. Prior to 4.6.0, an incomplete fix for CVE-2026-53722 allows an application with pages disabled to render a script-capable URL through NuxtLink when attacker-controlled input bound to to is prefixed with an ASCII C0 control character. The no-pages router classifies the value as an internal route before the earlier protocol check and passes it to the rendered anchor href; browsers remove the leading control character and interpret the remaining javascript: URL. The default anchor and NuxtLink custom output are affected, the unsafe href is present in server-rendered HTML, and a victim must click the link for script to execute in the application's origin. This issue is fixed in version 4.6.0.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/22/2026
Nuxt serves as a prominent open-source framework built on top of Vue.js, facilitating the creation of modern web applications with features like server-side rendering and static site generation. Within this ecosystem, the NuxtLink component is critical for handling navigation between pages while maintaining security boundaries against cross-site scripting attacks. A significant vulnerability was identified in versions prior to 4.6.0 regarding how internal routes are validated when page routing is disabled or restricted. The core issue stems from an incomplete remediation of a previous flaw, specifically CVE-2026-53722, which failed to adequately sanitize input containing ASCII C0 control characters at the beginning of URL strings bound to the link destination attribute.
The technical mechanism of this vulnerability relies on a flawed order of operations within the no-pages router class logic. When an attacker controls the value passed to the NuxtLink component's href or to prop, they can prefix it with an ASCII C0 control character, such as a null byte or other non-printable character in the 0x00-0x1F range. The framework’s internal classification process incorrectly identifies this malformed string as an internal route before executing the necessary protocol validation checks that would normally block dangerous schemes like javascript:. Consequently, the unsafe href is passed directly to the rendered anchor element and included in the server-rendered HTML output without being stripped or rejected by the security filters.
From a browser perspective, standard parsing behavior introduces the final vector for exploitation. Web browsers are designed to ignore leading control characters when interpreting URLs as part of their normalization process. Therefore, while Nuxt perceives the input as an internal route due to the prefix, the browser strips this character and interprets the remaining payload as a javascript: URL scheme. This discrepancy between server-side validation logic and client-side parsing behavior creates a classic bypass scenario where security controls are effectively neutralized by encoding tricks that exploit differences in implementation details across different software layers.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is classified under Cross-Site Scripting, specifically reflecting CWE-79, as it allows for the execution of arbitrary scripts within the context of the victim’s origin. This aligns with MITRE ATT&CK technique T1059, which covers command and script interpretation through browser-based vectors. Because the malicious link is embedded in server-rendered HTML, the attack requires social engineering or a similar vector to induce a user to click the link. Once clicked, any JavaScript code contained within the javascript: URL executes with full privileges of the application’s domain, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, defacement, or further pivoting into internal network resources depending on the sensitivity of the data accessible via that origin.
Mitigation strategies primarily involve upgrading the Nuxt framework and its associated dependencies to version 4.6.0 or later, where this specific logic flaw has been corrected by ensuring protocol checks occur before route classification or by strictly sanitizing control characters from input values regardless of their position. For applications unable to upgrade immediately, developers should implement additional client-side validation that explicitly rejects any href attributes containing non-printable ASCII characters in the C0 range. Furthermore, enforcing strict Content Security Policy headers can help mitigate the impact by restricting script execution sources and preventing inline scripts or javascript: URIs from running even if they are successfully injected into the DOM through this vulnerability path.