GHSA-4cwx-7wf7-3272: Infoleak
Summary
Two issues in undici's cache interceptor, both fixed by the same patch on lib/util/cache.js:
1. Shared-cache disclosure: Responses with malformed qualified Cache-Control: private directives such as private="" or private="," can be incorrectly stored in the default shared cache, then served to a later caller with the same cache key. 2. Parse-time crash: Mixed unqualified-and-qualified private directives in the same header (such as public, max-age=60, private, private="hdr") cause an uncaught TypeError in the cache-control parser, terminating the request.
Impact
Shared-cache disclosure
Applications using interceptors.cache() in shared mode may cache a user-specific response and serve it to a later caller with the same cache key. This can disclose private response bodies and headers, including Set-Cookie.
Required conditions:
- the cache interceptor is enabled in shared mode, including the default configuration; - an upstream returns a malformed directive such as Cache-Control: public, max-age=300, private=""; - another request later matches the same cache key, without a separating Vary header.
Parse-time crash
Applications using interceptors.cache() against an upstream that returns a Cache-Control header combining unqualified private with qualified private="..." see an uncaught TypeError: output.private.concat is not a function during response handling. The request rejects; depending on the consumer's error handling, the process may exit.
Details
private="" is parsed as { private: [''] }. The shared-cache guard only rejects private === true, so the response can be stored. When served from cache, the previous user's body and headers may be returned to a different user.
For the crash variant, an unqualified private directive sets output.private = true, then a subsequent qualified private="hdr" directive attempts output.private.concat(['hdr']), which throws because boolean has no concat method.
The patch routes the qualified-directive path through a shared helper that normalizes empty-after-trim arrays to true and preserves existing true values, closing both vectors.
Patches
Upgrade to undici 7.29.0 or 8.9.0. Both releases fix the qualified private directive handling that caused the shared-cache storage and the parser crash.
Workarounds
Until patched, avoid shared interceptors.cache() for user-specific responses, use type: 'private', or disable caching for affected origins.
Credit
Disclosure variant reported by @h0rk1p via HackerOne report #3817497.
Affected Software
Remediation
Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.
- Upgrade
Upgrade
npm/undicito a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 8.9.0 - Upgrade
Upgrade
npm/undicito a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 7.29.0 - Upgrade
Upgrade
undicito a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 7.29.0 - Upgrade
Upgrade
undicito a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 8.9.0 - Compensating control
Avoid shared `interceptors.cache()` for user-specific responses; use `type: 'private'` or disable caching for affected origins (until patched), especially in shared mode where the default configuration enables the cache interceptor.
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the severity of GHSA-4cwx-7wf7-3272?
GHSA-4cwx-7wf7-3272 has a high severity rating of 7.4.
What types of vulnerabilities are associated with GHSA-4cwx-7wf7-3272?
GHSA-4cwx-7wf7-3272 involves shared-cache disclosure due to malformed `Cache-Control` directives.
How do I fix GHSA-4cwx-7wf7-3272?
To fix GHSA-4cwx-7wf7-3272, update to the latest version of the npm/undici package that includes the patch.
What are the potential impacts of GHSA-4cwx-7wf7-3272?
The main impact of GHSA-4cwx-7wf7-3272 is the potential unintended disclosure of sensitive cached responses.
Which software is affected by GHSA-4cwx-7wf7-3272?
GHSA-4cwx-7wf7-3272 affects the npm/undici software.