Medium severity · published Sep 17, 2026
CVE-2026-85720
AsyncHttpClient: Origin credentials sent to the proxy on the plaintext CONNECT request
5.9
CVSS
0.3%
EPSS
No
On KEV
Description
The AsyncHttpClient (AHC) library allows Java applications to easily execute HTTP requests and asynchronously process HTTP responses. From 2.0.0 until 2.16.1 and 3.0.12, a request using an HTTP proxy to reach an HTTPS origin can expose preemptive origin credentials because NettyRequestFactory and NettyRequestSender.sendRequestWithNewChannel attach Authorization to the plaintext CONNECT request before the TLS tunnel exists. Basic or Digest credentials and per-connection NTLM, Kerberos, or SPNEGO tokens intended for the origin are therefore visible to the proxy and to observers on the client-to-proxy hop. The tunneled request still receives origin Authorization after the tunnel is established, while Proxy-Authorization remains on CONNECT for its intended proxy recipient. This issue is fixed in versions 2.16.1 and 3.0.12.
CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
High
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None
Scope
Unchanged
Exploitation
Is it being used?
Exploit prediction (EPSS)0.3% · higher than 18% of CVEs
Exploited in the wildNo evidence yet
CISA KEVNot listed
Ransomware campaign useNot known
Affected products
Which versions
AS
async-http-client · AsyncHttpClient
>= 2.0.0, < 2.16.1; >= 3.0.0, < 3.0.12 · source: vendor
Affected product
AS
async-http-client
AsyncHttpClient
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