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CVE-2026-26962

MEDIUM

Rack's improper unfolding of folded multipart headers preserves CRLF in parsed parameter values

Published April 2, 2026Updated May 13, 2026Source: osv

Summary

## Summary `Rack::Multipart::Parser` unfolds folded multipart part headers incorrectly. When a multipart header contains an obs-fold sequence, Rack preserves the embedded CRLF in parsed parameter values such as `filename` or `name` instead of removing the folded line break during unfolding. As a result, applications that later reuse those parsed values in HTTP response headers may be vulnerable to downstream header injection or response splitting. ## Details `Rack::Multipart::Parser` accepts folded multipart header values and unfolds them during parsing. However, the unfolding behavior does not fully remove the embedded line break sequence from the parsed value. This means a multipart part header such as: ```http Content-Disposition: form-data; name="file"; filename="test\r\n foo.txt" ``` can result in a parsed parameter value that still contains CRLF characters. The issue is not that Rack creates a second multipart header field. Rather, the problem is that CRLF remains embedded in the parsed metadata value after unfolding. If an application later uses that value in a security-sensitive context, such as constructing an HTTP response header, the preserved CRLF may alter downstream header parsing. Affected values may include multipart parameters such as `filename`, `name`, or similar parsed header attributes. ## Impact Applications that accept multipart form uploads may be affected if they later reuse parsed multipart metadata in HTTP headers or other header-sensitive contexts. In affected deployments, an attacker may be able to supply a multipart parameter value containing folded line breaks and cause downstream header injection, response splitting, cache poisoning, or related response parsing issues. The practical impact depends on application behavior. If parsed multipart metadata is not reused in HTTP headers, the issue may be limited to incorrect parsing behavior rather than a direct exploit path. ## Mitigation * Update to a patched version of Rack that removes CRLF correctly when unfolding folded multipart header values. * Avoid copying upload metadata such as `filename` directly into HTTP response headers without sanitization. * Sanitize or reject carriage return and line feed characters in multipart-derived values before reusing them in response headers, logs, or downstream protocol contexts. * Where feasible, normalize uploaded filenames before storing or reflecting them.

Remediation

Upgrade to the fixed version using your package manager.

Bundler
Update rack to 3.2.6 or later
gem install rack -v 3.2.6

After upgrading, run your dependency scanner again to confirm the vulnerability is resolved.

Affected Packages (1)

PackageEcosystemAffectedFixed In
rack
rubygems
3.2.0, 3.2.1, 3.2.2, 3.2.3 (+2 more)3.2.6

Vulnerability Classification

Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) identifiers for this vulnerability type.

CVSS Score Breakdown

What the CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System) 4.8 score means for each attack dimension.

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
High
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-26962?
Rack's improper unfolding of folded multipart headers preserves CRLF in parsed parameter values This vulnerability has been assigned a severity rating of MEDIUM (CVSS score: 4.8/10).
How do I check if my project is affected by CVE-2026-26962?
CVE-2026-26962 affects rack. Use GeekWala's free vulnerability scanner to check your dependencies against CVE-2026-26962 and 200,000+ other known vulnerabilities.

Severity & Exploitability

CVSS Score
4.8

Exploitation requires specific conditions or has limited impact. Remediate within weeks.

Also Known As

GHSA-rx22-g9mx-qrhv

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