The application must pass values that originate from, or can be influenced by, untrusted input into cow_link:link/1 — specifically the target URI, rel value, or attribute keys. Applications that construct Link entries exclusively from trusted, application-controlled values are not affected.
Improper Encoding or Escaping of Output vulnerability in ninenines cowlib allows Link header directive smuggling via unescaped special characters in cow_link:link/1.
cow_link:do_link/1 in cowlib interpolates the target URI, rel value, and attribute keys directly into the serialized Link: header value without escaping or token-grammar validation. A > byte in target prematurely closes the URI slot, allowing an attacker to append additional link entries with attacker-chosen rel directives. A \" or \\ in rel escapes the quoted string and opens new parameters. Any byte — including whitespace, =, and \" — in an attribute key is emitted verbatim. Because browsers act on Link: directives such as rel=\"preconnect\", rel=\"preload\", and rel=\"prerender\", an attacker who can influence these fields in an application that round-trips parsed Link headers through cow_link:link/1 can force victim browsers to make out-of-band connections to attacker-controlled origins.
This issue affects cowlib: from 2.9.0 onward.
"},{"base64":false,"type":"text/markdown","value":"Improper Encoding or Escaping of Output vulnerability in ninenines cowlib allows Link header directive smuggling via unescaped special characters in `cow_link:link/1`.\n\n`cow_link:do_link/1` in cowlib interpolates the target URI, rel value, and attribute keys directly into the serialized `Link:` header value without escaping or token-grammar validation. A `>` byte in target prematurely closes the URI slot, allowing an attacker to append additional link entries with attacker-chosen rel directives. A `\"` or `\\` in rel escapes the quoted string and opens new parameters. Any byte — including whitespace, `=`, and `\"` — in an attribute key is emitted verbatim. Because browsers act on `Link:` directives such as `rel=\"preconnect\"`, `rel=\"preload\"`, and `rel=\"prerender\"`, an attacker who can influence these fields in an application that round-trips parsed Link headers through `cow_link:link/1` can force victim browsers to make out-of-band connections to attacker-controlled origins.\n\nThis issue affects cowlib: from 2.9.0 onward."}],"value":"Improper Encoding or Escaping of Output vulnerability in ninenines cowlib allows Link header directive smuggling via unescaped special characters in cow_link:link/1.\n\ncow_link:do_link/1 in cowlib interpolates the target URI, rel value, and attribute keys directly into the serialized Link: header value without escaping or token-grammar validation. A > byte in target prematurely closes the URI slot, allowing an attacker to append additional link entries with attacker-chosen rel directives. A \" or \\ in rel escapes the quoted string and opens new parameters. Any byte — including whitespace, =, and \" — in an attribute key is emitted verbatim. Because browsers act on Link: directives such as rel=\"preconnect\", rel=\"preload\", and rel=\"prerender\", an attacker who can influence these fields in an application that round-trips parsed Link headers through cow_link:link/1 can force victim browsers to make out-of-band connections to attacker-controlled origins.\n\nThis issue affects cowlib: from 2.9.0 onward."}],"impacts":[{"capecId":"CAPEC-137","descriptions":[{"lang":"en","value":"CAPEC-137 Parameter Injection"}]}],"metrics":[{"cvssV4_0":{"Automatable":"NOT_DEFINED","Recovery":"NOT_DEFINED","Safety":"NOT_DEFINED","attackComplexity":"LOW","attackRequirements":"PRESENT","attackVector":"NETWORK","baseScore":6.3,"baseSeverity":"MEDIUM","privilegesRequired":"NONE","providerUrgency":"NOT_DEFINED","subAvailabilityImpact":"NONE","subConfidentialityImpact":"NONE","subIntegrityImpact":"LOW","userInteraction":"NONE","valueDensity":"NOT_DEFINED","vectorString":"CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:L/VA:N/SC:N/SI:L/SA:N","version":"4.0","vulnAvailabilityImpact":"NONE","vulnConfidentialityImpact":"NONE","vulnIntegrityImpact":"LOW","vulnerabilityResponseEffort":"NOT_DEFINED"},"format":"CVSS","scenarios":[{"lang":"en","value":"GENERAL"}]}],"problemTypes":[{"descriptions":[{"cweId":"CWE-116","description":"CWE-116 Improper Encoding or Escaping of Output","lang":"en","type":"CWE"}]}],"providerMetadata":{"orgId":"6b3ad84c-e1a6-4bf7-a703-f496b71e49db","shortName":"EEF","dateUpdated":"2026-08-18T15:58:46.271Z"},"references":[{"tags":["related","third-party-advisory"],"url":"https://cna.erlef.org/cves/CVE-2026-43971.html"},{"tags":["related"],"url":"https://osv.dev/vulnerability/EEF-CVE-2026-43971"},{"tags":["patch"],"url":"https://github.com/ninenines/cowlib/commit/89da27ee4c241f5d649ba7d9b7f2188918af6cea"}],"source":{"discovery":"EXTERNAL"},"title":"Link Header Directive Smuggling via Unescaped target/rel/Attribute Keys in cow_link:link/1","workarounds":[{"lang":"en","supportingMedia":[{"base64":false,"type":"text/html","value":"Sanitize values before passing them to cow_link:link/1: reject or strip any target value containing >, any rel value containing \" or \\, and any attribute key containing characters outside the HTTP token grammar. Alternatively, ensure all Link entry fields are derived exclusively from trusted, application-controlled values rather than untrusted input.