AsyncHttpClient (AHC) library's CookieStore replaces explicitly defined Cookies
When making any HTTP request, the automatically enabled and self-managed CookieStore (aka cookie jar) will silently replace explicitly defined Cookies with any that have the same name from the cookie jar. For services that operate with multiple users, this can result in one user's Cookie being used for another user's requests.
This issue is described without security warnings here:
https://github.com/AsyncHttpClient/async-http-client/issues/1964
A PR to fix this issue has been made:
https://github.com/AsyncHttpClient/async-http-client/pull/2033
1. Add an auth Cookie to the CookieStore
Set-Cookie, as shown in issue #1964 above.2. Handle a different user's request where the same Cookie is provided as a passthrough, like a JWT, and attempt to use it by explicitly providing it.
3. Observe that the user's cookie in step 2 is passed as the Cookie in step 1.
This is generally going to be a problem for developers of backend services that implement third party auth features and use other features like token refresh. The moment a third party service responds by _setting_ a cookie in the response, the CookieStore will effectively break almost every follow-up request (hopefully by being rejected, but possibly by revealing a different user's information).
If your service sets cookies based on the response that happens here, it's possible to lead to even greater levels of exposure.
You can avoid this issue by disabling the CookieStore during client creation:
```java
DefaultAsyncHttpClientConfig.Builder clientBuilder = Dsl.config()
.setCookieStore(null)
// other configuration
;
```
This issue can be reached over the network, attack complexity is high, an attacker needs no privileges on the target. No user interaction is required. Rated impact: confidentiality high, integrity high, availability high.
The score comes from this vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:H/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
CVE-2024-53990 is classified as CWE-287: Improper Authentication. The identity of the caller is not established correctly, so an attacker can act as another user.
CVE-2024-53990 is recorded against 2 packages.
Published on 2 December 2024 and last revised on 4 February 2026. No public exploit is currently recorded for this entry. Record sourced from NVD.
github.com (Web)
nvd.nist.gov (Advisory)
github.com (Web)
github.com (Web)
github.com (Web)
github.com (Package)
github.com (Web)
org.asynchttpclient:async-http-client has other advisories on record. If you are patching this one, these are worth checking on the same host:
These advisories are the same class of weakness (CWE-287: Improper Authentication) in other software:
Each distribution ships its own build and its own fixed version. Pick the one you run:
Details
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:H/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
Affected Packages
| Software | From version | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| org.asynchttpclient:async-http-client | 3.0.0.Beta1 | 3.0.1 |
| unknown | — | — |
Similar Threats
Exploit Protection
CVE-2024-53990 carries CVSS 9.5 Critical rating. BotEraser checks your installation against this and other known CVE records, and blocks IPs associated with exploit activity.
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ⓘ Data Notice: The information presented above has been compiled from publicly available internet sources. Boteraser aggregates this data solely for informational purposes and does not independently classify, evaluate, or endorse any findings about the vulnerabilities listed. The accuracy and completeness of this information is the sole responsibility of the original publishers. Boteraser and its operators accept no liability for any decisions made based on this data.
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