Backend denial of service via case-sensitive chunk detection
Published Apr 7, 2026 · Updated Apr 7, 2026
HTTP request desynchronization in Tinyproxy 1.11.3 and earlier allows remote attackers to hang backend connections via crafted requests. The is_chunked_transfer() function in src/reqs.c compares Transfer-Encoding to "chunked" with case-sensitive strcmp(), treats "Chunked" as bodyless, and relays unread bytes. No authentication or special configuration is required; repeated incomplete chunk streams exhaust backend workers, while inspection deployments can pass bodies unparsed.
Summary
What happened
HTTP request desynchronization in Tinyproxy 1.11.3 and earlier allows remote attackers to hang backend connections via crafted requests. The is_chunked_transfer() function in src/reqs.c compares Transfer-Encoding to "chunked" with case-sensitive strcmp(), treats "Chunked" as bodyless, and relays unread bytes. No authentication or special configuration is required; repeated incomplete chunk streams exhaust backend workers, while inspection deployments can pass bodies unparsed.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-31842
- Published
- Apr 7, 2026
- Updated
- Apr 7, 2026
- Vendor
- Tinyproxy
- Product
- Tinyproxy
- Classifications
- CWE-444, T1499.003
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Apr 7, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Apr 7, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=0 <=1.11.3
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
- Tinyproxy issue 604 reproductionproof of concept · demonstrated
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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