Tinyproxy: Inconsistent Interpretation of HTTP Requests
CVE-2026-31842 is a high-severity inconsistent interpretation of HTTP requests vulnerability in Tinyproxy from Tinyproxy Project, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.5 out of 10. It can be exploited remotely over the network by an unauthenticated attacker, without any action from a user. Affected Tinyproxy versions: 1.11.3 and earlier. The record does not name a fixed version, so check the vendor advisory. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.58% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is low compared with other CVEs.
High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.
What to do
- Check which version of Tinyproxy you run against the affected versions below, and install the vendor's latest release.
- Until you can update, restrict network access to the affected service so it is not reachable from untrusted networks.
Affected products and versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tinyproxy Project | Tinyproxy | 1.11.3 and earlier | Not stated |
Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.
How the severity score breaks down
- Attack vector
- NetworkCan be exploited remotely over a network, including the internet.
- Attack complexity
- LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
- Privileges required
- NoneNo account or login is needed.
- User interaction
- NoneNo action by a victim is required.
- Scope
- UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component.
- Confidentiality
- NoneNo data is disclosed.
- Integrity
- NoneNothing can be modified.
- Availability
- HighThe component can be taken down completely.
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H. Scored by CNA.
| Scoring system | Score | Severity | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 4.0 | 8.7 | High | CNA |
| CVSS 3.1 | 7.5 | High | CNA |
| CVSS 2.0 | 7.8 | High | CNA |
Official description
Tinyproxy through 1.11.3 is vulnerable to HTTP request parsing desynchronization due to a case-sensitive comparison of the Transfer-Encoding header in src/reqs.c. The is_chunked_transfer function uses strcmp to compare the header value against "chunked", even though RFC 7230 specifies that transfer-coding names are case-insensitive.
Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.
The underlying weakness: Inconsistent Interpretation of HTTP Requests
The product acts as an intermediary HTTP agent (such as a proxy or firewall) in the data flow between two entities such as a client and server, but it does not interpret malformed HTTP requests or responses in ways that are consistent with how the messages will be processed by those entities that are at the ultimate destination.
How developers prevent this class of flaw
- Use a web server that employs a strict HTTP parsing procedure, such as Apache.
- Terminate the client session after each request.
More Inconsistent Interpretation of HTTP Requests vulnerabilities (CWE-444)
Timeline
- CVE record published.
- CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: poc, automatable: yes, technical impact: partial).
- Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).
References
Technical write-ups (may include proof of concept)
- datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc7230Exploit, Technical Description
- github.com/tinyproxy/tinyproxy/issues/604Exploit, Issue Tracking
Other references
Other vulnerabilities in Tinyproxy
- 7.5 High severity
Recent Inconsistent Interpretation of HTTP Requests vulnerabilities
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 9.1 Critical severity
- 9.1 Critical severity
- 9.1 Critical severity
- 9.4 Critical severity
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