GHSA-cmxv-58fp-fm3g is a medium-severity (CVSS 6.8) Information Exposure vulnerability in org.asynchttpclient:async-http-client. A fix is available for org.asynchttpclient:async-http-client — see the affected versions and patch details below.
AsyncHttpClient leaks authorization credentials to untrusted domains on cross-origin redirects
Exploitation Status
No confirmed exploitation observed yet
- CISA’s own triage has not observed active exploitation or public proof-of-concept code for this CVE as of its last assessment.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for GHSA-cmxv-58fp-fm3g.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.
How urgent is this, really
GHSA-cmxv-58fp-fm3g plotted by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). The shaded corner — EPSS 50%+ and CVSS 7.0+ — is where this CVE doesn't sit, though severity or exploitability alone can still warrant action.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 377,166 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the < 10% band (highlighted). Real counts from FIRST.org, not a sample — log-scaled since the landscape is heavily right-skewed.
Real-World Exposure
org.asynchttpclient:async-http-client☕org.asynchttpclient:async-http-clientReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Maven packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
Impact
When redirect following is enabled (followRedirect(true)), AsyncHttpClient forwards Authorization and Proxy-Authorization headers along with Realm credentials to arbitrary redirect targets regardless of domain, scheme, or port changes. This leaks credentials on cross-domain redirects and HTTPS-to-HTTP downgrades.
Additionally, even when stripAuthorizationOnRedirect is set to true, the Realm object containing plaintext credentials is still propagated to the redirect request, causing credential re-generation for Basic and Digest authentication schemes via NettyRequestFactory.
An attacker who controls a redirect target (via open redirect, DNS rebinding, or MITM on HTTP) can capture Bearer tokens, Basic auth credentials, or any other Authorization header value.
Patches
Fixed in version 3.0.9 or 2.14.5. Users should upgrade immediately.
The fix automatically strips Authorization and Proxy-Authorization headers and clears Realm credentials whenever a redirect crosses origin boundaries (different scheme, host, or port) or downgrades from HTTPS to HTTP.
Workarounds
For users unable to upgrade, set (stripAuthorizationOnRedirect(true)) in the client config and avoid using Realm-based authentication with redirect following enabled. Note that (stripAuthorizationOnRedirect(true)) alone is insufficient on versions prior to 3.0.9 or 2.14.5 because the Realm bypass still re-generates credentials.
Alternatively, disable redirect following (followRedirect(false)) and handle redirects manually with origin validation.
References
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.asynchttpclient:async-http-client | ≥ 3.0.0.Beta1&&< 3.0.9 | 3.0.9org.asynchttpclient:async-http-client:3.0.9 |
| ☕Maven | org.asynchttpclient:async-http-client | ≥ 2.0.0&&< 2.14.5 | 2.14.5org.asynchttpclient:async-http-client:2.14.5 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.asynchttpclient:async-http-client, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update org.asynchttpclient:async-http-client to 3.0.9 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-cmxv-58fp-fm3g 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 Security's impact-aware SCA analyses which vulnerable code paths your application actually calls, so a match like GHSA-cmxv-58fp-fm3g can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to GHSA-cmxv-58fp-fm3g. 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-cmxv-58fp-fm3g in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds GHSA-cmxv-58fp-fm3g across Maven dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.