GHSA-9x8m-2xpf-crp3
Scrapy before 2.6.2 and 1.8.3 vulnerable to one proxy sending credentials to another
Blast Radius
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Description
Impact
When the built-in HTTP proxy downloader middleware processes a request with proxy metadata, and that proxy metadata includes proxy credentials, the built-in HTTP proxy downloader middleware sets the Proxy-Authentication header, but only if that header is not already set.
There are third-party proxy-rotation downloader middlewares that set different proxy metadata every time they process a request.
Because of request retries and redirects, the same request can be processed by downloader middlewares more than once, including both the built-in HTTP proxy downloader middleware and any third-party proxy-rotation downloader middleware.
These third-party proxy-rotation downloader middlewares could change the proxy metadata of a request to a new value, but fail to remove the Proxy-Authentication header from the previous value of the proxy metadata, causing the credentials of one proxy to be leaked to a different proxy.
If you rotate proxies from different proxy providers, and any of those proxies requires credentials, you are affected, unless you are handling proxy rotation as described under Workarounds below. If you use a third-party downloader middleware for proxy rotation, the same applies to that downloader middleware, and installing a patched version of Scrapy may not be enough; patching that downloader middlware may be necessary as well.
Patches
Upgrade to Scrapy 2.6.2.
If you are using Scrapy 1.8 or a lower version, and upgrading to Scrapy 2.6.2 is not an option, you may upgrade to Scrapy 1.8.3 instead.
Workarounds
If you cannot upgrade, make sure that any code that changes the value of the proxy request meta also removes the Proxy-Authorization header from the request if present.
For more information
If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐍PyPI | scrapy | all versions | 1.8.3 |
| 🐍PyPI | scrapy | ≥ 2.0.0&&< 2.6.2 | 2.6.2 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for scrapy. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.
Fix
Update scrapy to 1.8.3 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-9x8m-2xpf-crp3 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 pinpoints whether GHSA-9x8m-2xpf-crp3 is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.
Tailored to GHSA-9x8m-2xpf-crp3. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-9x8m-2xpf-crp3 in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-9x8m-2xpf-crp3 across PyPI dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.