urllib: Cross-origin redirects preserve credential-bearing request headers, leading to potential credential leakage
node-modules · urllib
Official source article: GitHub GHSA-HQ3H-G68C-HP78 ↗. Check the applicable product and release in the original source.
7.5HighCVSS 3.1
Recommended action
Within 7 days
High technical severity with public exploit material referenced by a structured source; prioritise exposed affected systems while verifying vendor guidance.
These OSV and GitHub advisory ranges apply only to the named package and ecosystem. A listed fixed version is not a universal product patch or proof that an update is installed.
Structured product status and remediation from the issuing vendor. Product-state explanations are always visible; large lists can be searched or downloaded.
1 current
CVE-2026-55553 · CSAF 2.0 · revision 3 · finalRed Hat Product Securityurllib: urllib: Credential leakage via cross-origin redirects
5 known affected
The vendor explicitly identifies these products as affected by this CVE.
rhdh/red-hat-developer-hub-backstage-plugin-lightspeed-backend as a component of Red Hat Developer Hub
rhdh/red-hat-developer-hub-backstage-plugin-orchestrator-backend as a component of Red Hat Developer Hub
rhdh/red-hat-developer-hub-backstage-plugin-orchestrator-backend-module-loki as a component of Red Hat Developer Hub
rhdh/red-hat-developer-hub-backstage-plugin-scaffolder-backend-module-orchestrator as a component of Red Hat Developer Hub
ansible-automation-platform/bootc-automation-portal-rhel9 as a component of Self-service automation portal 2
Summary
A flaw was found in urllib. This HTTP client for Node.js can be exploited by a remote attacker due to improper handling of cross-origin redirects. When following redirects, urllib reuses sensitive request headers, such as Authorization and Cookie, across different origins. This can lead to the leakage of credentials to an attacker-controlled server, potentially allowing the attacker to reuse these credentials against the original service.
Remediation
For more about Ansible plugins for Red Hat Developer Hub, see References links
Optional official sources
National CERT insights ?CERT means Computer Emergency Response Team; CSIRT is the closely related term Computer Security Incident Response Team.
Choose official national sources for this report. Each advisory shows its original language. Your selection is remembered on this device and included in shared links.
Official European source
ENISA European Vulnerability Database
Official EUVD identifiers, advisory evidence and known-exploited context. Missing fields are not treated as evidence of low risk.
1 current
ENISA EUVD identifier
EUVD-2026-65613
No EUVD known-exploited evidence
urllib is an HTTP client for Node.js that supports authentication, redirects, timeouts, and other request features. Prior to 4.9.1 and 2.44.1, urllib follows redirects through followRedirect but reuses caller-supplied options across origins. In src/HttpClient.ts, #requestInternal recursively calls this.#requestInternal(nextUrl.href, options, requestContext), causing options.headers and auth or digestAuth values to be reused when the redirect target has a different scheme, host, or port. Authorization, Cookie, Proxy-Authorization, x-api-key, x-auth-token, and x-access-token can therefore be sent to an attacker-controlled redirected origin, exposing credentials intended for the original origin and potentially allowing reuse against the original partner API or related services. No user interaction is required. This issue is fixed in versions 2.44.1 and 4.9.1.
EUVD state
Present in the current official mapping
Known exploitation
Not present in the current ENISA EUVD known-exploited dataset. This is not proof of no exploitation.
ENISA score
7.5 · CVSS 3.1
Advisory evidence
No linked advisory details stored yet
Recommended actionWithin 7 days
High technical severity with public exploit material referenced by a structured source; prioritise exposed affected systems while verifying vendor guidance.
Patch available
01
What, why and how
urllib is an HTTP client for Node.js that supports authentication, redirects, timeouts, and other request features. Prior to 4.9.1 and 2.44.1, urllib follows redirects through followRedirect but reuses caller-supplied options across origins. In src/HttpClient.ts, #requestInternal recursively calls this.#requestInternal(nextUrl.href, options, requestContext), causing options.headers and auth or digestAuth values to be reused when the redirect target has a different scheme, host, or port. Authorization, Cookie, Proxy-Authorization, x-api-key, x-auth-token, and x-access-token can therefore be sent to an attacker-controlled redirected origin, exposing credentials intended for the original origin and potentially allowing reuse against the original partner API or related services. No user interaction is required. This issue is fixed in versions 2.44.1 and 4.9.1.
What
urllib is an HTTP client for Node.js that supports authentication, redirects, timeouts, and other request features. Prior to 4.9.1 and 2.44.1, urllib follows redirects through followRedirect but reuses caller-supplied options across origins. In src/HttpClient.ts, #requestInternal recursively calls this.#requestInternal(nextUrl.href, options, requestContext), causing options.headers and auth or digestAuth values to be reused when the redirect target has a different scheme, host, or port. Authorization, Cookie, Proxy-Authorization, x-api-key, x-auth-token, and x-access-token can therefore be sent to an attacker-controlled redirected origin, exposing credentials intended for the original origin and potentially allowing reuse against the original partner API or related services. No user interaction is required. This issue is fixed in versions 2.44.1 and 4.9.1.
Why
The product exposes sensitive information to an actor that is not explicitly authorized to have access to that information.
How
An attacker operating through a network path may attempt exploitation without authentication or user interaction. If successful, the issue may cause the confidentiality, integrity or availability impact described by the vendor.
What
urllib is an HTTP client for Node.js that supports authentication, redirects, timeouts, and other request features. Prior to 4.9.1 and 2.44.1, urllib follows redirects through followRedirect but reuses caller-supplied options across origins. In src/HttpClient.ts, #requestInternal recursively calls this.#requestInternal(nextUrl.href, options, requestContext), causing options.headers and auth or digestAuth values to be reused when the redirect target has a different scheme, host, or port. Authorization, Cookie, Proxy-Authorization, x-api-key, x-auth-token, and x-access-token can therefore be sent to an attacker-controlled redirected origin, exposing credentials intended for the original origin and potentially allowing reuse against the original partner API or related services. No user interaction is required. This issue is fixed in versions 2.44.1 and 4.9.1.
Why
The product exposes sensitive information to an actor that is not explicitly authorized to have access to that information.
How
An attacker operating through a network path may attempt exploitation without authentication or user interaction. If successful, the issue may cause the confidentiality, integrity or availability impact described by the vendor.
02
Exploit reality and attack path
CVSS severity, EPSS forecast probability, public exploit material and CISA-confirmed exploitation are separate signals.
Observed exploitation ?Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.No confirmed evidence
No CISA KEV match was present at the last successful refresh. This means no confirmation from that source, not proof of no exploitation.
Public PoC / exploit material ?Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.Reference recorded
CISA Vulnrichment records proof-of-concept exploitation in its SSVC data. BlackTree has not independently executed or validated exploit material.
Likely attack path
a network path → Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor → cause the confidentiality, integrity or availability impact described by the vendor
Attack surface
Network
Privileges required
None: unauthenticated exploitation is possible
User interaction
None
Attack complexity
Low: no specialised conditions are recorded
Security boundary
Unchanged: impact remains within the vulnerable component's security authority
Weakness ?CWE means Common Weakness Enumeration: a standard category for the underlying weakness.
CWE-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor. The product exposes sensitive information to an actor that is not explicitly authorized to have access to that information.
CVSS vector ?CVSS means Common Vulnerability Scoring System. The vector records the metric values used to calculate technical severity.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
Common Vulnerability Scoring System 3.1: the compact vector below is decoded into plain language.
AVNetworkAttack vector: The vulnerable component can be reached over a network.ACLowAttack complexity: No specialised conditions are required beyond attacker-controlled input.PRNonePrivileges required: The attacker does not need an account or existing privileges.UINoneUser interaction: No action by another user is required.SUnchangedScope: The security impact remains within the vulnerable component's authority.CHighConfidentiality impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.INoneIntegrity impact: No direct loss is represented by this metric.ANoneAvailability impact: No direct loss is represented by this metric.
Post-exploitation / living off the land
Stolen credentials, tokens and legitimate administration functions may provide continued access without deploying a large custom toolset.
Only matched European and national findings are included. Language selectors and unavailable sources are omitted.
ENISA EUVD · EUVD-2026-65613Official EUVD mapping
urllib is an HTTP client for Node.js that supports authentication, redirects, timeouts, and other request features. Prior to 4.9.1 and 2.44.1, urllib follows redirects through followRedirect but reuses caller-supplied options across origins. In src/HttpClient.ts, #requestInternal recursively calls this.#requestInternal(nextUrl.href, options, requestContext), causing options.headers and auth or digestAuth values to be reused when the redirect target has a different scheme, host, or port. Authorization, Cookie, Proxy-Authorization, x-api-key, x-auth-token, and x-access-token can therefore be sent to an attacker-controlled redirected origin, exposing credentials intended for the original origin and potentially allowing reuse against the original partner API or related services. No user interaction is required. This issue is fixed in versions 2.44.1 and 4.9.1.
Operational remediation based on structured source evidence.
Status ?Patch availability is based on structured fixed-version fields and authoritative update references. If no fix is verified, check the vendor advisory before making a change.
For more about Ansible plugins for Red Hat Developer Hub, see References links
Workaround
No verified workaround is recorded. If business-safe, reduce exposure to the affected interface and allow only trusted sources until authoritative guidance is available.
04
Evidence and provenance
Published 25 Aug 2026 · Last source change 25 Aug 2026, 18:25 UTC · CWE-200 · Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor
CVE recordCVE.org · 5.2
CVSS sourceCNA
EPSS source ?The date BlackTree first stored a score for this CVE from the daily FIRST EPSS feed.FIRST · tracked since 2026-08-26
European sourceENISA EUVD · EUVD-2026-65613
Product sourceVendor CSAF · Red Hat Product Security
Remediation sourceVendor CSAF · Red Hat Product Security
CWE sourceCNA
NVD statusNVD not scheduled
Core structured fields are present and their contributing authorities are shown above.
Affected versionsThe structured affected or fixed version information changed.
Before
rhdh/red-hat-developer-hub-backstage-plugin-lightspeed-backend as a component of Red Hat Developer Hub; rhdh/red-hat-developer-hub-backstage-plugin-orchestrator-backend as a component of Red Hat Developer Hub; rhdh/red-hat-developer-hub-backstage-plugin-orchestrator-backend-module-loki as a component of Red Hat Developer Hub; rhdh/red-hat-developer-hub-backstage-plugin-scaffolder-backend-module-orchestrator as a component of Red Hat Developer Hub; ansible-automation-platform/automation-portal as a component of Self-service automation portal 2; ansible-automation-platform/bootc-automation-portal-rhel9 as a component of Self-service automation portal 2 · Fixed: registry.redhat.io/rhdh/rhdh-hub-rhel9@sha256:ea53db6012b6fe1c80760624caddb0d3b674614b62cb3c359ed3fde270314eb2_amd64 as a component of Red Hat Developer Hub 1.9
After
rhdh/red-hat-developer-hub-backstage-plugin-lightspeed-backend as a component of Red Hat Developer Hub; rhdh/red-hat-developer-hub-backstage-plugin-orchestrator-backend as a component of Red Hat Developer Hub; rhdh/red-hat-developer-hub-backstage-plugin-orchestrator-backend-module-loki as a component of Red Hat Developer Hub; rhdh/red-hat-developer-hub-backstage-plugin-scaffolder-backend-module-orchestrator as a component of Red Hat Developer Hub; ansible-automation-platform/bootc-automation-portal-rhel9 as a component of Self-service automation portal 2 · Fixed: registry.redhat.io/ansible-automation-platform/automation-portal@sha256:2659ae04974d930322789112efc9181bc7cf3990999a204eba45aec0639f0c3d_amd64 as a component of Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.1; registry.redhat.io/ansible-automation-platform/automation-portal@sha256:ca5c8160a6cb0fa122c3cc91852325af72b9713db1c2683b68e91433b762e604_amd64 as a component of Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.2; registry.redhat.io/rhdh/rhdh-hub-rhel9@sha256:ea53db6012b6fe1c80760624caddb0d3b674614b62cb3c359ed3fde270314eb2_amd64 as a component of Red Hat Developer Hub 1.9
Affected versionsThe structured affected or fixed version information changed.
Before
rhdh/red-hat-developer-hub-backstage-plugin-lightspeed-backend as a component of Red Hat Developer Hub; rhdh/red-hat-developer-hub-backstage-plugin-orchestrator-backend as a component of Red Hat Developer Hub; rhdh/red-hat-developer-hub-backstage-plugin-orchestrator-backend-module-loki as a component of Red Hat Developer Hub; rhdh/red-hat-developer-hub-backstage-plugin-scaffolder-backend-module-orchestrator as a component of Red Hat Developer Hub; rhdh/rhdh-hub-rhel9 as a component of Red Hat Developer Hub; ansible-automation-platform/automation-portal as a component of Self-service automation portal 2; ansible-automation-platform/bootc-automation-portal-rhel9 as a component of Self-service automation portal 2
After
rhdh/red-hat-developer-hub-backstage-plugin-lightspeed-backend as a component of Red Hat Developer Hub; rhdh/red-hat-developer-hub-backstage-plugin-orchestrator-backend as a component of Red Hat Developer Hub; rhdh/red-hat-developer-hub-backstage-plugin-orchestrator-backend-module-loki as a component of Red Hat Developer Hub; rhdh/red-hat-developer-hub-backstage-plugin-scaffolder-backend-module-orchestrator as a component of Red Hat Developer Hub; ansible-automation-platform/automation-portal as a component of Self-service automation portal 2; ansible-automation-platform/bootc-automation-portal-rhel9 as a component of Self-service automation portal 2 · Fixed: registry.redhat.io/rhdh/rhdh-hub-rhel9@sha256:ea53db6012b6fe1c80760624caddb0d3b674614b62cb3c359ed3fde270314eb2_amd64 as a component of Red Hat Developer Hub 1.9
Technical terms and abbreviations used in this report
CVE
Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures: the public identifier for one disclosed vulnerability.
CVSS
Common Vulnerability Scoring System: a technical severity framework; it is not patching priority by itself.
EPSS
Exploit Prediction Scoring System: FIRST's estimate of the probability that exploitation activity will be observed in the next 30 days; it is a forecast, not confirmation.
CWE
Common Weakness Enumeration: the standard category describing the underlying software or hardware weakness.
CNA
CVE Numbering Authority: an organisation authorised to assign and publish CVE records.
CISA ADP
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Authorized Data Publisher: structured enrichment added to a CVE record.
NVD
National Vulnerability Database: NIST's enrichment service for CVE records.
CERT / CSIRT
A computer security incident response team that publishes warnings or coordinates incident response.
PoC
Proof of concept: public material that demonstrates or helps reproduce exploitation.
CSAF
Common Security Advisory Framework: a machine-readable format for security advisories.
LoTL
Living off the land: abuse of legitimate tools or system functions during an attack.