Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessReach ATS over HTTP
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DeliveryCraft over-long aliasing header
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ExploitTruncation collapses header names
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ExecutionDesync proxy and backend
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PersistSmuggle request or override policy header
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ImpactBypass access/routing controls
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A06:2025 - Insecure Design
ASVS 5.0
V4 - API and Web Service HTTP request consistency
|
| Exploitation Conditions | Exploitation requires the ability to send HTTP requests through an Apache Traffic Server proxy running an affected version (8.0.0-8.1.9, 9.0.0-9.2.14, or 10.0.0-10.1.3), and the crafted request must include a header name long enough to trigger ATS's truncation-instead-of-rejection behavior so that it aliases another header. Per the CVSS vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N), no authentication or user interaction is needed and it works against default parsing behavior. The primary limiting factor is architectural: the impact of smuggling/policy bypass depends on ATS fronting a backend or enforcing policies that the aliased header can subvert (routing, auth-forwarding, or filtering headers); a standalone cache with no trusted header logic yields lower practical impact. |
| Impact | The vendor CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:H/A:N, score 9.3) indicates a remotely reachable, low-complexity, unauthenticated attack with a scope change - consistent with smuggling that crosses the trust boundary from proxy to backend, hence the high integrity impact and the scope flag. No EPSS score, KEV entry, POC, or SSVC decision data was supplied, so exploitation probability cannot be quantified from the input; the score is driven by intrinsic exploitability, not observed activity. This is a genuine priority for any ATS operator fronting sensitive origins because request smuggling reliably enables policy bypass, but absent EPSS/KEV signals the real-world exploitation likelihood is unconfirmed. No conflict exists between the vector and the description - both point to remote, unauthenticated network exploitation. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker sends a crafted HTTP request containing a header whose name exceeds ATS's length limit so that, after truncation, it aliases a security-relevant header the proxy trusts. The desynchronized interpretation between ATS and the backend lets the attacker smuggle a second request or override a policy header, bypassing access controls or cache/routing rules. No public exploit code was provided, but the low attack complexity (AC:L) and lack of required privileges (PR:N) make crafting such a request straightforward for a skilled attacker. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Jul 29, 2026
Request smuggling and policy bypass in Apache Traffic Server (branches 8.0.0-8.1.9, 9.0.0-9.2.14, and 10.0.0-10.1.3) arises because the proxy silently truncates over-long HTTP header names, causing two distinct header names to alias to the same value. A network attacker can exploit this desynchronization to smuggle requests past the proxy and bypass security or routing policy. No public exploit has been identified at time of analysis, but the CVSS 9.3 rating and CWE-444 classification mark this as a high-priority proxy integrity flaw affecting a core CDN/caching component.
RemediationAI
Vendor-released patch: upgrade to Apache Traffic Server 9.2.15 (for the 9.x branch) or 10.1.4 (for the 10.x branch), per the Apache advisory at https://lists.apache.org/thread/5prl9glcm9g2swnq9hqxvnokylm1gr6d. Users on the affected 8.0.0-8.1.9 branch have no listed 8.x fixed release and should migrate to 9.2.15 or 10.1.4. As a compensating control until patching, place a strict HTTP header-validation layer in front of ATS (e.g., a WAF or upstream proxy) configured to reject requests containing abnormally long header names rather than truncating them, and disable HTTP connection reuse/keep-alive to origins where feasible to reduce smuggling opportunity - noting this reduces throughput and increases origin connection load. Restricting who can reach the proxy does not mitigate this, since the attack is unauthenticated over the normal HTTP path.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 1 package in euvd
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Technical ContextAI · show details
Apache Traffic Server is a high-performance forward and reverse HTTP/HTTPS caching proxy widely used as CDN edge and origin-shield infrastructure. The root cause is CWE-444 (Inconsistent Interpretation of HTTP Requests / HTTP Request Smuggling): when a header name exceeds the parser's length limit, ATS truncates the name rather than rejecting the message, so distinct headers collapse to the same effective name ('header aliasing'). Because ATS and its upstream/downstream endpoints then disagree about which header value applies, request boundaries and security-relevant headers (e.g., routing, auth, or filtering headers) can be reinterpreted. The single CPE (cpe:2.3:a:apache_software_foundation:apache_traffic_server:*) confirms the affected product is the ATS proxy itself, not a bundled library.
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Severity by source
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:H/SA:N
Remote unauthenticated HTTP request (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N); smuggling crosses the proxy trust boundary (S:C) with high integrity impact from policy bypass and limited confidentiality exposure, no availability effect.
Primary rating from Vendor (apache).
CVSS VectorVendor: apache
Lifecycle Timeline
3DescriptionCVE.org
Apache Traffic Server truncates over-long header names, allowing header aliasing, request smuggling, and policy bypass.
This issue affects Apache Traffic Server: from 8.0.0 through 8.1.9, from 9.0.0 through 9.2.14, from 10.0.0 through 10.1.3.
Users are recommended to upgrade to version 9.2.15 or 10.1.4, which fix the issue.
Articles & Coverage 1
Executive ViewAI
Apache Traffic Server versions 8.0.0 through 8.1.9, 9.0.0 through 9.2.14, and 10.0.0 through 10.1.3 contain a request smuggling vulnerability (CVSS 9.3) that enables attackers to bypass critical security policies and routing controls, directly compromising the integrity of proxy-based infrastructure. Organizations deploying affected Traffic Server instances for CDN, load balancing, or policy enforcement face exposure to unauthorized request forwarding and security policy circumvention. Immediate identification and isolation of affected systems is required.
Deploy WAF rules to detect and reject HTTP requests with oversized or malformed header names; implement strict header name validation and length enforcement at all downstream systems consuming Traffic Server output; enforce network segmentation restricting Traffic Server access to only authenticated and authorized clients via firewall policies; enable comprehensive logging and alerting for header manipulation attempts and request smuggling indicators. No vendor-released patch identified at time of analysis.
Threat Intelligence Overview
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
Authentication bypass attacks exploit flaws in the verification mechanisms that control access to systems and applications.
HTTP request smuggling exploits inconsistencies in how front-end and back-end servers parse HTTP message boundaries.
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Memory corruption in Apache Traffic Server's remap configuration handling lets remote attackers trigger a use-after-free
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EUVD-2026-50209
GHSA-9jfm-2xhc-ghxj
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
VulDB
Exploit-DB