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Mallory
High

Next.js Pages Router i18n Middleware Authorization Bypass

IdentifiersCVE-2026-44573CWE-285

CVE-2026-44573 is a high-severity authorization bypass in Next.js affecting applications that use the Pages Router with i18n enabled and rely on middleware or proxy-based authorization. In affected versions, locale-less requests to the data route pattern /_next/data/<buildId>/<page>.json are not matched consistently with the corresponding localized page routes, so middleware does not execute for the unprefixed data request. As a result, an attacker can directly request the server-side rendered JSON data for protected pages without passing the intended authorization checks. The issue affects Next.js from 12.2.0 before 15.5.16, and the 16.x line before 16.2.5.

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ANALYST BRIEF

Impact, mitigation & remediation

What it means. What to do now. Patch path, mitigations, and the assume-compromise checklist.

Impact

What an attacker gets, and what they’ve been doing with it.

Successful exploitation allows unauthorized retrieval of protected SSR page data exposed through Next.js data routes. This can disclose sensitive application data that would normally be gated by middleware-enforced access control. The vulnerability is an authorization bypass rather than code execution, but it can expose confidential content and undermine route protection assumptions in affected applications.

Mitigation

If you can’t patch tonight, do this now.

If immediate patching is not possible, do not rely solely on middleware or proxy-based authorization for sensitive Pages Router content. Enforce authorization checks in the page's server-side data path and any logic that generates SSR JSON responses, so direct requests to /_next/data/<buildId>/<page>.json are independently validated. Where feasible, restrict or monitor direct access to data-route endpoints for protected pages until upgrades are deployed.

Remediation

Patch, then assume compromise.

Upgrade Next.js to a fixed version. The provided advisory states the issue is fixed in 15.5.16 and 16.2.5. Organizations should update all affected deployments in the vulnerable ranges and validate that middleware matching now applies consistently to both localized and locale-less data routes. After upgrading, review protected Pages Router endpoints and confirm that sensitive data is not exposed through /_next/data/ JSON responses without proper authorization.
PUBLIC EXPLOITS

Exploits

No valid public exploits. Mallory filtered out 1 candidate as fakes, detection scripts, or README-only repos.

VALID 0 / 1 TOTALView more in app

All candidate exploits were filtered out by Mallory's validation.

EXPOSURE SURFACE

Affected products & vendors

Products and vendors Mallory has correlated with this vulnerability. Open in Mallory to drill down to specific CPE configurations and version ranges.

VendorProductType
VercelNextapplication
VercelNext.Jsapplication

Vendor-confirmed product mapping. Mallory continuously reconciles this list against your asset inventory.

What this page doesn’t show

The version that knows your environment.

This page is what’s public. Mallory adds the parts that aren’t: which of your assets are affected, which adversaries are exploiting it right now, which detections to deploy, and what to do tonight.
Exposure mapping

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Threat actor evidence

Every observed campaign linking this CVE to a named adversary.

Associated malware

Malware families riding this exploit, with evidence and IOCs.

Detection signatures

YARA, Sigma, Snort, and vendor rules, auto-deployed to your SIEM.

Vendor-by-vendor mapping

Cross-references every affected SKU, including bundled OEM variants.

Social activity8

Community discussion across Reddit, Mastodon, and other social sources.