Vulnerability-Lookup

GHSA-J8RH-479H-CP32

Vulnerability from github – Published: 2026-09-30 15:35 – Updated: 2026-09-30 15:35

Summary

Axios: Header Injection via Inherited headers After Minimal Interceptor

Details

Summary

Axios request interceptors may return a replacement config object. If an interceptor returns a plain object without an own headers property, dispatchRequest() later evaluates config.headers and can resolve an inherited Object.prototype.headers value. In a process where another vulnerability has polluted Object.prototype.headers, axios can send attacker-controlled headers.

Axios does not create the prototype pollution source, and the interceptor itself is trusted caller code. The vulnerable behavior is the post-interceptor axios config read that reopens a prototype-pollution gadget after earlier null-prototype config hardening.

Impact

An attacker with a prior same-process prototype-pollution primitive can inject headers into affected axios requests when the application uses an interceptor that rebuilds config and omits headers. Depending on the target service, injected headers can affect cache behavior, conditional requests, metadata services, or application-specific authorization and routing logic.

The issue is conditional and should not be described as affecting every interceptor or every request.

Affected Functionality

Affected:

Request interceptor chains where an interceptor returns a new ordinary object.
Replacement config objects that omit an own headers property.
dispatchRequest() header normalization through AxiosHeaders.from(config.headers).

Not affected:

Requests whose interceptor preserves an own headers property.
Interceptors that mutate and return the existing null-prototype config.
Processes without prototype pollution.

Technical Details

lib/core/dispatchRequest.js contains:

config.headers = AxiosHeaders.from(config.headers);

The initial merged config is null-prototype, but an interceptor can replace it with a normal object. If that object has no own headers, the read can resolve Object.prototype.headers.

Local verification on axios 1.18.1 polluted Object.prototype.headers = { 'X-Poisoned': 'yes' }, installed an interceptor that returned { url, method, timeout, proxy: false }, and sent a request. The loopback server received X-Poisoned: yes.

Proof of Concept of Attack

Constrained local demonstration:

Object.prototype.headers = { 'X-Poisoned': 'yes' };

const client = axios.create();
client.interceptors.request.use((config) => ({
  url: config.url,
  method: config.method,
  timeout: config.timeout
}));

await client.get(url);

Expected safe behavior is that missing headers normalize to an empty header set. Current affected behavior reads inherited Object.prototype.headers.

Workarounds

Interceptors that rebuild config should always set an own headers property, for example by preserving config.headers or setting headers: {}. Mutating and returning the existing merged config also avoids replacing the null-prototype object.

Original report

## Summary Axios 1.17.0 blocks the old `Object.prototype.common` header bucket gadget. However, if a request interceptor rebuilds a minimal config object and omits `headers`, `dispatchRequest()` reads inherited `Object.prototype.headers`. This allows attacker-controlled headers to be placed on the wire. ## Affected Version Validated on: - axios: `1.17.0` - commit: `4306df2` - runtime: Node.js `v24.15.0` ## Preconditions - A separate prototype-pollution primitive can write an object to `Object.prototype.headers`. - A request interceptor rebuilds config and omits own `headers`. ## Root Cause `dispatchRequest()` uses:

config.headers = AxiosHeaders.from(config.headers);

If `config` is a normal object returned by an interceptor and lacks own `headers`, this reads `Object.prototype.headers`. ## Impact An attacker can inject request headers. Depending on the target service, this can cause cache manipulation, conditional-response suppression, request smuggling preconditions, metadata-service header injection, or application-specific authorization bypass. ## Proof of Concept

import axios from './index.js';
import http from 'http';

const start = (handler) => new Promise((resolve) => {
  const server = http.createServer(handler);
  server.listen(0, '127.0.0.1', () => resolve(server));
});

const stop = (server) => new Promise((resolve) => server.close(resolve));

const hits = [];

const server = await start((req, res) => {
  hits.push(req.headers);
  res.setHeader('Content-Type', 'application/json');
  res.end('{"ok":true}');
});

try {
  Object.prototype.headers = {
    'X-Poisoned': 'yes',
    'If-None-Match': '*'
  };

  const client = axios.create();
  client.interceptors.request.use((config) => ({
    url: config.url,
    method: config.method,
    timeout: config.timeout
  }));

  await client.get(`http://127.0.0.1:${server.address().port}/headers`, {
    timeout: 3000
  });

  console.log(hits[0]);
} finally {
  delete Object.prototype.headers;
  await stop(server);
}

Observed wire headers:

{
  "x-poisoned": "yes",
  "if-none-match": "*",
  "user-agent": "axios/1.17.0"
}

## References - https://github.com/axios/axios/security/advisories/GHSA-898c-q2cr-xwhg - https://osv.dev/vulnerability/GHSA-898c-q2cr-xwhg

Severity

6.9 (Medium)


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

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JSON

To clipboard

{
  "affected": [
    {
      "package": {
        "ecosystem": "npm",
        "name": "axios"
      },
      "ranges": [
        {
          "events": [
            {
              "introduced": "1.0.0"
            },
            {
              "fixed": "1.20.0"
            }
          ],
          "type": "ECOSYSTEM"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "aliases": [
    "CVE-2026-101904"
  ],
  "database_specific": {
    "cwe_ids": [
      "CWE-1321",
      "CWE-74"
    ],
    "github_reviewed": true,
    "github_reviewed_at": "2026-09-30T15:35:14Z",
    "nvd_published_at": "2026-09-28T18:17:18Z",
    "severity": "MODERATE"
  },
  "details": "## Summary\n\nAxios request interceptors may return a replacement config object. If an interceptor returns a plain object without an own `headers` property, `dispatchRequest()` later evaluates `config.headers` and can resolve an inherited `Object.prototype.headers` value. In a process where another vulnerability has polluted `Object.prototype.headers`, axios can send attacker-controlled headers.\n\nAxios does not create the prototype pollution source, and the interceptor itself is trusted caller code. The vulnerable behavior is the post-interceptor axios config read that reopens a prototype-pollution gadget after earlier null-prototype config hardening.\n\n## Impact\n\nAn attacker with a prior same-process prototype-pollution primitive can inject headers into affected axios requests when the application uses an interceptor that rebuilds config and omits headers. Depending on the target service, injected headers can affect cache behavior, conditional requests, metadata services, or application-specific authorization and routing logic.\n\nThe issue is conditional and should not be described as affecting every interceptor or every request.\n\n## Affected Functionality\n\nAffected:\n\n- Request interceptor chains where an interceptor returns a new ordinary object.\n- Replacement config objects that omit an own `headers` property.\n- `dispatchRequest()` header normalization through `AxiosHeaders.from(config.headers)`.\n\nNot affected:\n\n- Requests whose interceptor preserves an own `headers` property.\n- Interceptors that mutate and return the existing null-prototype config.\n- Processes without prototype pollution.\n\n## Technical Details\n\n`lib/core/dispatchRequest.js` contains:\n\n```js\nconfig.headers = AxiosHeaders.from(config.headers);\n```\n\nThe initial merged config is null-prototype, but an interceptor can replace it with a normal object. If that object has no own `headers`, the read can resolve `Object.prototype.headers`.\n\nLocal verification on axios `1.18.1` polluted `Object.prototype.headers = { \u0027X-Poisoned\u0027: \u0027yes\u0027 }`, installed an interceptor that returned `{ url, method, timeout, proxy: false }`, and sent a request. The loopback server received `X-Poisoned: yes`.\n\n## Proof of Concept of Attack\n\nConstrained local demonstration:\n\n```js\nObject.prototype.headers = { \u0027X-Poisoned\u0027: \u0027yes\u0027 };\n\nconst client = axios.create();\nclient.interceptors.request.use((config) =\u003e ({\n  url: config.url,\n  method: config.method,\n  timeout: config.timeout\n}));\n\nawait client.get(url);\n```\n\nExpected safe behavior is that missing headers normalize to an empty header set. Current affected behavior reads inherited `Object.prototype.headers`.\n\n## Workarounds\n\nInterceptors that rebuild config should always set an own `headers` property, for example by preserving `config.headers` or setting `headers: {}`. Mutating and returning the existing merged config also avoids replacing the null-prototype object.\n\n\u003cdetails\u003e\n  \u003csummary\u003e\u003ch3\u003eOriginal report\u003c/h3\u003e\u003c/summary\u003e\n  \n\n## Summary\n\nAxios 1.17.0 blocks the old `Object.prototype.common` header bucket gadget. However, if a request interceptor rebuilds a minimal config object and omits `headers`, `dispatchRequest()` reads inherited `Object.prototype.headers`.\n\nThis allows attacker-controlled headers to be placed on the wire.\n\n## Affected Version\n\nValidated on:\n\n- axios: `1.17.0`\n- commit: `4306df2`\n- runtime: Node.js `v24.15.0`\n\n## Preconditions\n\n- A separate prototype-pollution primitive can write an object to `Object.prototype.headers`.\n- A request interceptor rebuilds config and omits own `headers`.\n\n## Root Cause\n\n`dispatchRequest()` uses:\n\n```js\nconfig.headers = AxiosHeaders.from(config.headers);\n```\n\nIf `config` is a normal object returned by an interceptor and lacks own `headers`, this reads `Object.prototype.headers`.\n\n## Impact\n\nAn attacker can inject request headers. Depending on the target service, this can cause cache manipulation, conditional-response suppression, request smuggling preconditions, metadata-service header injection, or application-specific authorization bypass.\n\n## Proof of Concept\n\n```js\nimport axios from \u0027./index.js\u0027;\nimport http from \u0027http\u0027;\n\nconst start = (handler) =\u003e new Promise((resolve) =\u003e {\n  const server = http.createServer(handler);\n  server.listen(0, \u0027127.0.0.1\u0027, () =\u003e resolve(server));\n});\n\nconst stop = (server) =\u003e new Promise((resolve) =\u003e server.close(resolve));\n\nconst hits = [];\n\nconst server = await start((req, res) =\u003e {\n  hits.push(req.headers);\n  res.setHeader(\u0027Content-Type\u0027, \u0027application/json\u0027);\n  res.end(\u0027{\"ok\":true}\u0027);\n});\n\ntry {\n  Object.prototype.headers = {\n    \u0027X-Poisoned\u0027: \u0027yes\u0027,\n    \u0027If-None-Match\u0027: \u0027*\u0027\n  };\n\n  const client = axios.create();\n  client.interceptors.request.use((config) =\u003e ({\n    url: config.url,\n    method: config.method,\n    timeout: config.timeout\n  }));\n\n  await client.get(`http://127.0.0.1:${server.address().port}/headers`, {\n    timeout: 3000\n  });\n\n  console.log(hits[0]);\n} finally {\n  delete Object.prototype.headers;\n  await stop(server);\n}\n```\n\nObserved wire headers:\n\n```json\n{\n  \"x-poisoned\": \"yes\",\n  \"if-none-match\": \"*\",\n  \"user-agent\": \"axios/1.17.0\"\n}\n```\n\n## References\n\n- https://github.com/axios/axios/security/advisories/GHSA-898c-q2cr-xwhg\n- https://osv.dev/vulnerability/GHSA-898c-q2cr-xwhg\n\u003c/details\u003e\n---",
  "id": "GHSA-j8rh-479h-cp32",
  "modified": "2026-09-30T15:35:14Z",
  "published": "2026-09-30T15:35:14Z",
  "references": [
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://github.com/axios/axios/security/advisories/GHSA-j8rh-479h-cp32"
    },
    {
      "type": "ADVISORY",
      "url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-101904"
    },
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://github.com/axios/axios/pull/11141"
    },
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://github.com/axios/axios/commit/d19040bda7a8be2f82c3c6e1a5bc03917daee39a"
    },
    {
      "type": "PACKAGE",
      "url": "https://github.com/axios/axios"
    },
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://github.com/axios/axios/releases/tag/v1.20.0"
    }
  ],
  "schema_version": "1.4.0",
  "severity": [
    {
      "score": "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:N/SC:L/SI:H/SA:N",
      "type": "CVSS_V4"
    }
  ],
  "summary": "Axios: Header Injection via Inherited headers After Minimal Interceptor"
}

CVE-2026-101904 (GCVE-0-2026-101904)

Vulnerability from cvelistv5 – Published: 2026-09-28 17:29 – Updated: 2026-09-28 17:49

Title

Axios: Header Injection via Inherited headers After Minimal Interceptor

Summary

Axios is a promise-based HTTP client for the browser and Node.js. From 1.0.0 until 1.20.0, the dispatchRequest function normalizes inherited Object.prototype.headers from a replacement request configuration. A separate same-process prototype-pollution flaw sets Object.prototype.headers, and trusted request interceptors return a new ordinary configuration without an own headers property. After the interceptor chain, dispatchRequest resolves the inherited headers during normalization. Downstream request processing can observe attacker-controlled headers, including authorization-related values. This issue is fixed in version 1.20.0.

Severity

6.9 (Medium)


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

SSVC

Exploitation: poc Automatable: no Technical Impact: partial

CISA Coordinator · CISA-ADP (v2.0.3)

Decision recorded 2026-09-28 17:49 UTC

CWE

CWE-74 - Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection')
CWE-1321 - Improperly Controlled Modification of Object Prototype Attributes ('Prototype Pollution')

Assigner

GitHub_M mitre root Scorecard

References

4 references

URL	Tags
https://github.com/axios/axios/security/advisorie…	x_refsource_CONFIRM
https://github.com/axios/axios/pull/11141	x_refsource_MISC
https://github.com/axios/axios/commit/d19040bda7a…	x_refsource_MISC
https://github.com/axios/axios/releases/tag/v1.20.0	x_refsource_MISC

Impacted products

1 product

Vendor	Product	Version
axios	axios	Affected: >= 1.0.0, < 1.20.0

Show details on NVD website

JSON

To clipboard

{
  "containers": {
    "adp": [
      {
        "metrics": [
          {
            "other": {
              "content": {
                "id": "CVE-2026-101904",
                "options": [
                  {
                    "Exploitation": "poc"
                  },
                  {
                    "Automatable": "no"
                  },
                  {
                    "Technical Impact": "partial"
                  }
                ],
                "role": "CISA Coordinator",
                "timestamp": "2026-09-28T17:49:31.727845Z",
                "version": "2.0.3"
              },
              "type": "ssvc"
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          "dateUpdated": "2026-09-28T17:49:57.529Z",
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          "shortName": "CISA-ADP"
        },
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          {
            "tags": [
              "exploit"
            ],
            "url": "https://github.com/axios/axios/security/advisories/GHSA-j8rh-479h-cp32"
          }
        ],
        "title": "CISA ADP Vulnrichment"
      }
    ],
    "cna": {
      "affected": [
        {
          "product": "axios",
          "vendor": "axios",
          "versions": [
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              "version": "\u003e= 1.0.0, \u003c 1.20.0"
            }
          ]
        }
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      "descriptions": [
        {
          "lang": "en",
          "value": "Axios is a promise-based HTTP client for the browser and Node.js. From 1.0.0 until 1.20.0, the dispatchRequest function normalizes inherited Object.prototype.headers from a replacement request configuration. A separate same-process prototype-pollution flaw sets Object.prototype.headers, and trusted request interceptors return a new ordinary configuration without an own headers property. After the interceptor chain, dispatchRequest resolves the inherited headers during normalization. Downstream request processing can observe attacker-controlled headers, including authorization-related values. This issue is fixed in version 1.20.0."
        }
      ],
      "metrics": [
        {
          "cvssV4_0": {
            "attackComplexity": "LOW",
            "attackRequirements": "PRESENT",
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            "baseSeverity": "MEDIUM",
            "privilegesRequired": "NONE",
            "subAvailabilityImpact": "NONE",
            "subConfidentialityImpact": "LOW",
            "subIntegrityImpact": "HIGH",
            "userInteraction": "NONE",
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              "type": "CWE"
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        {
          "descriptions": [
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Sightings

Author	Source	Type	Date	Other

Nomenclature

Seen: The vulnerability was mentioned, discussed, or observed by the user.
Confirmed: The vulnerability has been validated from an analyst's perspective.
Published Proof of Concept: A public proof of concept is available for this vulnerability.
Exploited: The vulnerability was observed as exploited by the user who reported the sighting.
Patched: The vulnerability was observed as successfully patched by the user who reported the sighting.
Not exploited: The vulnerability was not observed as exploited by the user who reported the sighting.
Not confirmed: The user expressed doubt about the validity of the vulnerability.
Not patched: The vulnerability was not observed as successfully patched by the user who reported the sighting.

The MITRE ATT&CK techniques below are AI-generated suggestions, inferred from the description of the vulnerability by the CIRCL/vulnerability-attack-technique-classification-roberta-base model, served locally by ML-Gateway. They have not been verified by an analyst and are provided for guidance only.
The approach is described in our paper Mapping CVEs to MITRE ATT&CK Techniques: A Curated Gold-Set Classifier and the Limits of LLM-Assisted Label Expansion.
Browse all ATT&CK techniques and the vulnerabilities related to each.

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Action not permitted

GHSA-J8RH-479H-CP32

Summary

Impact

Affected Functionality

Technical Details

Proof of Concept of Attack

Workarounds

Original report

CVE-2026-101904 (GCVE-0-2026-101904)

Tags

Sightings

Nomenclature

Related by attack behaviour