Nuxt: Incomplete fix for GHSA-934w-87qh-qr26: a `javascript:` URL prefixed with an ASCII control character executes from `<NuxtLink>` when `pages` is disabled

## Impact An application that renders `<NuxtLink :to="...">` with a value it does not control can be made to render an anchor whose `href` executes script in the application's origin when clicked. This is an incomplete fix for [GHSA-934w-87qh-qr26](https://github.com/nuxt/nuxt/security/advisories/GHSA-934w-87qh-qr26) (CVE-2026-53722). It only affects applications running without a `pages/` directory, where `pages` resolves to `false` and Nuxt registers its own router in place of vue-router. Applications using vue-router are not affected. Prefixing `javascript:` with an ASCII C0 control character, for example `%01`, meant the value was not recognised as having a protocol. It was classified as an internal route and so never reached the protocol check added in GHSA-934w-87qh-qr26, and the router used for `pages: false` passed it through to the rendered `href` unchanged. Browsers strip the leading control character and run the result as a script URL. Both `<NuxtLink custom>` and the default anchor are affected, and the `href` is present in the server-rendered HTML. ## Mitigating factors - The application must have `pages` disabled (no `pages/` directory, or `pages: false`). - The application must bind untrusted input to `:to`. - A victim must click the rendered link. ## Affected versions `nuxt` `<4.6.0`, including all Nuxt 3 releases. Versions before `4.4.7` and `3.21.7` are also affected by GHSA-934w-87qh-qr26. ## Patches Fixed in `[email protected]`. Nuxt 3 reached end of life on 31 July 2026 and will not receive a fix. Anchor `href` values are now checked for script-capable protocols wherever they are rendered, including the router used when `pages` is disabled. Protocol detection also moved to the platform `URL` parser, so a URL is classified the same way the browser will read it. ## Workarounds Upgrade to `[email protected]` or later. If you cannot upgrade, including on Nuxt 3, validate values before binding them to `:to`, for example by rejecting anything that is not a path beginning with a single `/`.

Source published

22 Oct 2026 16:51:37 UTC

Source modified

22 Oct 2026 17:00:04 UTC

Observed here

24 Oct 2026 13:17:17 UTC

Source terms

GitHub Advisory Database · CC-BY-4.0

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This view projects the publisher's source fields for reading; the original JSON retains additional fields and CVE enrichment containers. Attribution: osv · GitHub Advisory Database · CC-BY-4.0. Source text is retained; field grouping and change labels are provided by ChangeIntel.

CVSS_V4 · CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:P/VC:L/VI:L/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Publisher rating · LOW