Next.js's Middleware / Proxy redirects can be cache-poisoned
Impact
Next.js uses the x-nextjs-data request header for internal data requests. On affected versions, an external client could send this header on a normal request to a path handled by middleware that returns a redirect.
When that happened, the middleware/proxy could treat the request as a data request and replace the standard Location redirect header with the internal x-nextjs-redirect header. Browsers do not follow x-nextjs-redirect, so the response became an unusable redirect for normal clients.
If the application was deployed behind a CDN or reverse proxy that caches 3xx responses without varying on this header, a single attacker request could poison the cached redirect response for the affected path. Subsequent visitors could then receive a cached redirect response without a Location header, causing a denial of service for that redirect path until the cache entry expired or was purged.
Affected scenarios
This affects applications that:
- use middleware or proxy redirects
- are deployed behind a caching CDN or reverse proxy
- allow 3xx responses on those paths to be cached without differentiating internal data requests from normal requests
Fix
The fix stops trusting x-nextjs-data by itself for middleware redirect handling. A request is now treated as an internal data request only when it is validated as such by internal routing state, preserving legitimate data-request redirect behavior while preventing external header injection from changing normal redirect responses.
Workarounds
Before upgrading, users can reduce risk by:
- configuring the CDN or reverse proxy to vary its cache key on
x-nextjs-datafor affected responses
Affected software
Click a technology to see all vulnerabilities affecting it.
| Platform | Package | Vulnerable versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| npm package | next | >= 12.2.0, < 15.5.16, >= 16.0.0, < 16.2.5 | 15.5.16, 16.2.5 |
References
- CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L- Weakness (CWE)
CWE-349- Platform
- npm
- Package
next- Disclosed
- 11.05.2026
- Updated
- 11.10.2026 10:22
Sources and licenses
OSV / GitHub Advisory Database - GHSA-3g8h-86w9-wvmq - CC BY 4.0
Vulnerability history: next
All published vulnerabilities of this package (npm package), newest first. Shows whether this is a one-off slip or a package that needs watching.
- Total entries
- 73
- First → latest
- 12.2017 10.2026
- Without a fix
- 0
- Exploited in attacks
- 0
Severity breakdown
- Critical 5
- High 27
- Medium 32
- Low 9
Disclosures per year
- 2017: 1
- 2018: 2
- 2019: 0
- 2020: 3
- 2021: 3
- 2022: 3
- 2023: 1
- 2024: 6
- 2025: 14
- 2026: 40
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Next.js's Middleware / Proxy redirects can be cache-poisoned this entry
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