Authorization bypass via untrimmed HTTP header whitespace
Published Feb 7, 2020 · Updated Apr 30, 2025
Improper HTTP parsing in Node.js allows remote attackers to bypass header-based authorization checks with trailing whitespace. The HTTP parser passes header values to application code without stripping trailing optional whitespace, so exact comparisons can interpret equivalent values differently. Affected servers are exposed only when authorization logic relies on an exact parsed header value, allowing access that the comparison was intended to deny.
Summary
What happened
Improper HTTP parsing in Node.js allows remote attackers to bypass header-based authorization checks with trailing whitespace. The HTTP parser passes header values to application code without stripping trailing optional whitespace, so exact comparisons can interpret equivalent values differently. Affected servers are exposed only when authorization logic relies on an exact parsed header value, allowing access that the comparison was intended to deny.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2019-15606
- Published
- Feb 7, 2020
- Updated
- Apr 30, 2025
- Vendor
- Node.js
- Product
- Node.js
- Classifications
- T1190
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Feb 7, 2020CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Apr 30, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
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- Affected versionversion=10.0 <10.19.0
- Affected versionversion=11.0 <11.*
- Affected versionversion=12.0 <12.15.0
- Affected versionversion=13.0 <13.8.0
- Affected versionversion=4.0 <4.*
- Affected versionversion=5.0 <5.*
- Affected versionversion=6.0 <6.*
- Affected versionversion=7.0 <7.*
- Affected versionversion=8.0 <8.*
- Affected versionversion=9.0 <9.*
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
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Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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