CVE-2026-107280: AsyncHttpClient: Cookie Domain attribute is not checked against the public suffix list, so a cookie can be set for co.uk
Impact The cookie store decides whether a Domain attribute may be accepted using only the domain-matching rule of RFC 6265 Section 5.1.3, which asks whether the request host is the domain or ends with a dot followed by it. Section 5.3 step 5, which additionally requires rejecting a Domain that is a public suffix, is not implemented anywhere in the client.
So a host under a multi-label public suffix can set a cookie for the suffix itself, and the store then hands it to every other host under that suffix:
attacker.co.uk -> Set-Cookie: SID=attacker-value; Domain=co.uk; Path=/ bank.co.uk -> Cookie: SID=attacker-value
Domain=uk works the same way. The attacker needs only a site under the same suffix as the victim, which for suffixes such as co.uk, com.au, or github.io is trivially obtainable.
Depending on what the application does with the cookie, this is session fixation, or it overwrites a session the victim site set, or it lets the attacker plant a value the victim site trusts.
Affected versions 3.x: up to and including 3.0.12 2.x: up to and including 2.16.0
Relationship to CVE-2026-55688 CVE-2026-55688 (GHSA-m452-q8c9-rg2f) covered the direct form of this, where a host sets a Domain naming an unrelated host, and that form is genuinely fixed: attacker.co.uk can no longer set Domain=bank.co.uk, and this was verified as a control. What that fix did not add is the public suffix test, so setting Domain=co.uk still reaches bank.co.uk. This advisory covers only the residual.
Patches Fixed in 3.0.13 on the 3.x line. The ICANN section of the Mozilla public suffix list is bundled with the client and a Domain matching it is rejected, honouring the list's wildcard and exception rules. The list is data and goes stale, so a suffix added upstream after a release is not recognised until the bundled copy is refreshed. The 2.x line is not yet fixed.
Workarounds Do not share one CookieStore across origins that are not mutually trusted. Supplying a CookieStore implementation that rejects Domain values which are public suffixes also avoids it.
Details ThreadSafeCookieStore.domainsMatch is requestDomain.equals(cookieDomain) || requestDomain.endsWith('.' + cookieDomain). It is used both to accept a Domain on storage and to select cookies for a request, and neither call site consults a public suffix list. A search of the client for any public suffix or effective TLD handling returns nothing.
Other sources
The AsyncHttpClient (AHC) library allows Java applications to easily execute HTTP requests and asynchronously process HTTP responses. Prior to 3.0.13 and 2.16.1, ThreadSafeCookieStore validates Domain attributes with domain matching but does not reject public suffixes. A host beneath a suffix such as co.uk can set a cookie for that suffix, after which the shared cookie store sends it to unrelated hosts under the suffix. This can inject or overwrite session-relevant cookie values across origins. This issue is fixed in versions 3.0.13 and 2.16.1.
— MITRE
Affected Software
Remediation
Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.
- Upgrade
Upgrade
maven/org.asynchttpclient:async-http-clientto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 2.16.1 - Upgrade
Upgrade
maven/org.asynchttpclient:async-http-clientto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 3.0.13 - Upgrade
Upgrade
AsyncHttpClientto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 3.0.13 - Upgrade
Upgrade
AsyncHttpClientto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 2.16.1 - Compensating control
Do not share one CookieStore across origins that are not mutually trusted.
- Compensating control
Supply a CookieStore implementation that rejects Domain values which are public suffixes.
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
Which applications are exposed to this issue?
Java applications using AsyncHttpClient with ThreadSafeCookieStore before version 3.0.13 or 2.16.1 are exposed if they use a shared cookie store while making requests to hosts beneath a public suffix.
What does an attacker need to exploit it?
An attacker needs control of, or the ability to cause the application to contact, a host under the same public suffix as another target host. That host can set a cookie scoped to the public suffix, which the shared store may then send to unrelated hosts beneath it.
What is the impact of a successful exploit?
A malicious host can inject or overwrite session-relevant cookie values for unrelated origins under the same public suffix. This can affect cookie-based session handling across those origins.
What should be done if upgrading is not immediately possible?
Avoid sharing a ThreadSafeCookieStore across requests to unrelated hosts under the same public suffix, and do not allow untrusted hosts to set cookies that will be retained for subsequent requests to other origins. Upgrade to AsyncHttpClient 3.0.13 or 2.16.1 when possible.