CVE-2020-15811: Input Validation

Published Aug 24, 2020
·
Updated

An issue was discovered in Squid before 4.13 and 5.x before 5.0.4. Due to incorrect data validation, HTTP Request Splitting attacks may succeed against HTTP and HTTPS traffic. This leads to cache poisoning. This allows any client, including browser scripts, to bypass local security and poison the browser cache and any downstream caches with content from an arbitrary source. Squid uses a string search instead of parsing the Transfer-Encoding header to find chunked encoding. This allows an attacker to hide a second request inside Transfer-Encoding: it is interpreted by Squid as chunked and split out into a second request delivered upstream. Squid will then deliver two distinct responses to the client, corrupting any downstream caches.

Other sources

Squid-Cache Squid is vulnerable to HTTP request splitting attacks, caused by improper input validation in HTTP message processing. A remote attacker could exploit this vulnerability to inject arbitrary HTTP request and cause the browser to send 2 HTTP requests, once the URL is clicked. This would allow the attacker to perform further attacks, such as Web cache poisoning or cross-site scripting.

IBM

Affected Software

20 affected componentsFixes available
debian/squid<=4.12-1, <=4.6-1, <=4.6-1+deb10u3
4.13-14.6-1+deb10u4
IBM Security Guardium<=10.5
IBM Security Guardium<=10.6
IBM Security Guardium<=11.0
IBM Security Guardium<=11.1
IBM Security Guardium<=11.2
IBM Security Guardium<=11.3
Squid-Cache Squid<4.13
Squid-Cache Squid>=5.0<5.0.4
Canonical Ubuntu Linux=16.04
Canonical Ubuntu Linux=18.04
Canonical Ubuntu Linux=20.04
Debian Debian Linux=9.0
Debian Debian Linux=10.0
Fedoraproject Fedora=31
Fedoraproject Fedora=32
Fedoraproject Fedora=33
openSUSE Leap=15.1
openSUSE Leap=15.2
debian/squid
4.13-10+deb11u34.13-10+deb11u65.7-2+deb12u55.7-2+deb12u46.13-2+deb13u17.5-1

Event History

Sep 2, 2020
CVE Published
via MITRE·04:35 PM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·04:35 PM
Description
Data Sourced
via NVD·05:15 PM
RemedyDescriptionSeverityWeaknessAffected Software
Feb 23, 2026
Data Sourced
via Ubuntu·07:43 PM
RemedyDescriptionSeverityAffected Software
Data Sourced
via Launchpad·07:44 PM
Description
Apr 1, 2026
Data Sourced
via Debian·08:10 PM
DescriptionAffected Software

Parent advisories

This vulnerability appears in the following advisories.

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Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is the vulnerability ID of this issue?

The vulnerability ID of this issue is CVE-2020-15811.

2

What is the severity of CVE-2020-15811?

The severity of CVE-2020-15811 is medium.

3

What is the affected software?

The affected software is Squid-Cache Squid versions before 4.13 and 5.x before 5.0.4.

4

What is the impact of this vulnerability?

This vulnerability allows HTTP Request Splitting attacks to succeed against HTTP and HTTPS traffic, leading to cache poisoning.

5

How can I fix CVE-2020-15811?

To fix CVE-2020-15811, upgrade to Squid version 4.13 or 5.0.4 or later.

Contact

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