CVE-2026-18540: undici vulnerable to downstream response splitting via retry interceptor

Published Sep 4, 2026
·
Updated

undici's retry interceptor can append the body of a ranged retry response to bytes already delivered from an earlier partial response while still presenting the original response's status and headers. This happens when an upstream server delivers part of a body without a trustworthy resume checkpoint, for example a non-success response whose headers were already sent or a partial-content response with an unusable content range, then closes the connection and answers the resumed range request with more bytes. As a result the response body can be longer than the Content-Length that the application observes. An application that relays such a response to a downstream HTTP/1.1 peer without normalizing the framing can emit a body that exceeds the forwarded Content-Length, and the excess bytes can be interpreted as the start of a following response, which enables downstream response splitting or desynchronization. Exploitation requires an attacker-controlled upstream server and an application that forwards the response through a framing-sensitive path. This affects undici versions before 6.28.1, from 7.0.0 up to 7.29.1, and from 8.0.0 up to 8.10.2. Users should upgrade to undici 6.28.1, 7.29.1, or 8.10.2.

Affected Software

3 affected components
npm/undici<6.28.1
npm/undici>=7.0.0<7.29.1
npm/undici>=8.0.0<8.10.2

Remediation

Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.

  1. Upgrade

    Upgrade undici to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 6.28.1
  2. Upgrade

    Upgrade undici to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 7.29.1
  3. Upgrade

    Upgrade undici to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 8.10.2

Event History

Sep 4, 2026
CVE Published
via MITRE·05:15 PM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·05:15 PM
DescriptionSeverityWeakness

Frequently Asked Questions

1

Which deployments are exposed to downstream response splitting?

Exposure requires both an attacker-controlled upstream server and an application that relays the upstream response to a downstream HTTP/1.1 peer through a framing-sensitive path. Applications that do not forward such responses through that path are not described as exploitable.

2

What conditions must an attacker create upstream?

The upstream server must deliver a partial body without a trustworthy resume checkpoint, close the connection, and return additional bytes to the resumed range request. Examples include a non-success response after headers have been sent, or a partial-content response with an unusable Content-Range.

3

How can I determine whether my undici version is affected?

Affected versions are releases before 6.28.1, versions from 7.0.0 through 7.29.1, and versions from 8.0.0 through 8.10.2. Check the installed undici version against those ranges.

4

What can be done if an immediate upgrade is not possible?

Avoid relaying affected upstream responses through framing-sensitive HTTP/1.1 paths unless response framing is normalized. The issue arises when more body bytes are forwarded than the Content-Length observed by the application.

Contact

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