CVE-2026-85720 PUBLISHED

AsyncHttpClient: Origin credentials sent to the proxy on the plaintext CONNECT request

Assigner: GitHub_M
Reserved: 04.09.2026 Published: 17.09.2026 Updated: 17.09.2026

The AsyncHttpClient (AHC) library allows Java applications to easily execute HTTP requests and asynchronously process HTTP responses. From 2.0.0 until 2.16.1 and 3.0.12, a request using an HTTP proxy to reach an HTTPS origin can expose preemptive origin credentials because NettyRequestFactory and NettyRequestSender.sendRequestWithNewChannel attach Authorization to the plaintext CONNECT request before the TLS tunnel exists. Basic or Digest credentials and per-connection NTLM, Kerberos, or SPNEGO tokens intended for the origin are therefore visible to the proxy and to observers on the client-to-proxy hop. The tunneled request still receives origin Authorization after the tunnel is established, while Proxy-Authorization remains on CONNECT for its intended proxy recipient. This issue is fixed in versions 2.16.1 and 3.0.12.

Metrics

CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
CVSS Score: 5.9

Product Status

Vendor AsyncHttpClient
Product async-http-client
Versions
  • Version >= 2.0.0, < 2.16.1 is affected
  • Version >= 3.0.0, < 3.0.12 is affected

References

Problem Types

  • CWE-319: Cleartext Transmission of Sensitive Information CWE
  • CWE-522: Insufficiently Protected Credentials CWE