CVE-2026-44490: Axios prototype pollution gadgets in merge functions

CVE-2026-44490 · Severity: medium · CVSS 4.8 · Published 2026-06-11

Axios is a widely used tool for making web requests in JavaScript applications. A vulnerability exists where Axios can be manipulated into sending unauthorized web headers or crashing entirely if another part of the application has already been compromised by a 'prototype pollution' attack. This could allow an attacker to disrupt service or interfere with how the application communicates with other web services.

Technologies: Axios, axios (npm). Vendors: Axios, npm.

Quick answers

Is CVE-2026-44490 exploited in the wild?
No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-44490 being exploited in the wild.
How severe is CVE-2026-44490?
Medium severity, with a CVSS score of 4.8, published 11 June 2026.
Which products and versions are affected?
Axios < 0.32.0, < 1.16.0; axios (npm) SEMVER:introduced=1.0.0,fixed=1.16.0.
Is there a fix for CVE-2026-44490?
Yes. axios (npm): upgrade to 1.16.0 or later. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.
How is CVE-2026-44490 attacked?
It is attacked over the network, in a software library.
Am I affected by CVE-2026-44490?
Check whether you run Axios or axios (npm) at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

How to fix

  • axios (npm): upgrade to 1.16.0 or later
    npm install axios@1.16.0

Technical details

Axios contains two read-side prototype pollution gadgets in its configuration merging logic. The first gadget in 'lib/utils.js' uses a plain object accumulator during merges, allowing polluted properties from Object.prototype to be copied into outbound HTTP headers, potentially leading to header injection or response suppression. The second gadget in 'lib/core/mergeConfig.js' uses a plain-object literal as a property descriptor; if Object.prototype.get or .set is polluted with a non-function value, 'Object.defineProperty' throws a TypeError, causing a synchronous crash of every Axios request. These vulnerabilities require a pre-existing prototype pollution vulnerability in the environment (e.g., via an upstream dependency like lodash) to be exploitable. The issue is fixed in versions 0.32.0 and 1.16.0 by using null-prototype objects.

Affected products

  • Axios Axios < 0.32.0, < 1.16.0

Identifiers

  • CVE-2026-44490
  • GHSA-898c-q2cr-xwhg

Timeline

  • 2026-05-29: advisory: GitHub Security Advisory GHSA-898c-q2cr-xwhg published
  • 2026-06-11: disclosed: CVE-2026-44490 published to NVD

References

This page as Markdown. Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with a link back.