Inconsistent Interpretation of HTTP Requests ('HTTP Request/Response Smuggling')
CVE-2021-41136
Summary
Puma is a HTTP 1.1 server for Ruby/Rack applications. Puma versions prior to 4.3.9, and 5.x prior to 5.5.1, using `puma` with a proxy which forwards HTTP header values which contain the LF character could allow HTTP request smuggling. A client could smuggle a request through a proxy, causing the proxy to send a response back to another unknown client. The only proxy which has this behavior, as far as the Puma team is aware of, is Apache Traffic Server. If the proxy uses persistent connections and the client adds another request in via HTTP pipelining, the proxy may mistake it as the first request's body. Puma, however, would see it as two requests, and when processing the second request, send back a response that the proxy does not expect. If the proxy has reused the persistent connection to Puma to send another request for a different client, the second response from the first client will be sent to the second client. This vulnerability was patched in Puma 5.5.1 and 4.3.9. As a workaround, do not use Apache Traffic Server with `puma`.
- HIGH
- NETWORK
- LOW
- UNCHANGED
- REQUIRED
- LOW
- LOW
- NONE
CWE-444 - HTTP Request Smuggling
Entities such as web servers, web caching proxies, and application firewalls could parse HTTP requests differently. When there are two or more such entities in the path of an HTTP request, an attacker can send a specially crafted HTTP request that is seen as two different sets of requests by the attacked devices, allowing the attacker to smuggle a request into one device without the other device being aware of it. Such a vulnerability can prove devastating, for it enables further attacks on the application, like web cache poisoning, session hijacking, cross-site scripting, security bypassing, and sensitive information exposure.
References
Advisory Timeline
- Published
