Squid
CVE-2020-15049
HIGH
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A06:2025 - Insecure Design
ASVS 5.0
V4 - API and Web Service HTTP request consistency
|
| Impact | CVSS score of 8.8 (HIGH). Attack characteristics: network attack vector, low complexity, low privileges required, no user interaction not required. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | A remote attacker could manipulate HTTP request interpretation between frontend and backend servers by sending crafted requests to the affected application. |
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Alert meAnalysisAI
An issue was discovered in http/ContentLengthInterpreter.cc in Squid before 4.12 and 5.x before 5.0.3. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. This HTTP Request/Response Smuggling vulnerability could allow attackers to manipulate HTTP request interpretation between frontend and backend servers.
RemediationAI
A vendor patch is available. Apply the latest security update as soon as possible. Enforce strict HTTP parsing, normalize requests at proxy layer, use HTTP/2 end-to-end, reject ambiguous headers.
Affects your stack
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Technical ContextAI · show details
This vulnerability is classified as HTTP Request/Response Smuggling (CWE-444), which allows attackers to manipulate HTTP request interpretation between frontend and backend servers. An issue was discovered in http/ContentLengthInterpreter.cc in Squid before 4.12 and 5.x before 5.0.3. A Request Smuggling and Poisoning attack can succeed against the HTTP cache. The client sends an HTTP request with a Content-Length header containing "+\ "-" or an uncommon shell whitespace character prefix to the length field-value. Affected products include: Squid-Cache Squid, Fedoraproject Fedora. Version information: before 4.12.
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- Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources
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Severity by source
AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Primary rating from NVD · only source for this CVE.
CVSS VectorNVD
DescriptionNVD
An issue was discovered in http/ContentLengthInterpreter.cc in Squid before 4.12 and 5.x before 5.0.3. A Request Smuggling and Poisoning attack can succeed against the HTTP cache. The client sends an HTTP request with a Content-Length header containing "+\ "-" or an uncommon shell whitespace character prefix to the length field-value.
Threat Intelligence Overview
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
GitHub
How this decision was reached
The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.
What every action level means
SSVC AssessmentENISA
Priority Score
Attack Technique
HTTP request smuggling exploits inconsistencies in how front-end and back-end servers parse HTTP message boundaries.
Information disclosure occurs when an application unintentionally exposes sensitive data that aids attackers in reconnaissance or directly compromises security.
Affected Products (CPE)NVD
client_side.cc in Squid before 3.5.18 and 4.x before 4.0.10 does not properly ignore the Host header when absolute-URI i
Squid is vulnerable to a Denial of Service, where a remote attacker can perform buffer overflow attack by writing up to
Buffer overflow in Squid 3.x before 3.5.17 and 4.x before 4.0.9 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via cr
client_side_request.cc in Squid 3.x before 3.5.18 and 4.x before 4.0.10 allows remote servers to cause a denial of servi
Heap-based buffer overflow in the Icmp6::Recv function in icmp/Icmp6.cc in the pinger utility in Squid before 3.5.16 and
client_side_request.cc in Squid 3.2.x before 3.2.13 and 3.3.x before 3.3.8 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of
Buffer overflow in the idnsALookup function in dns_internal.cc in Squid 3.2 through 3.2.11 and 3.3 through 3.3.6 allows
mime_header.cc in Squid before 3.5.18 allows remote attackers to bypass intended same-origin restrictions and possibly c
The pinger in Squid 3.x before 3.4.8 allows remote attackers to obtain sensitive information or cause a denial of servic
HttpHdrRange.cc in Squid 3.x before 3.3.12 and 3.4.x before 3.4.6 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (
Squid 3.x before 3.5.15 and 4.x before 4.0.7 does not properly append data to String objects, which allows remote server
Squid 3.x before 3.5.16 and 4.x before 4.0.8 improperly perform bounds checking, which allows remote attackers to cause
Exploit-DB