CVE-2026-111756
Received Received - Intake

Information Disclosure in follow-redirects Library

Publication date: 2026-10-20

Last updated on: 2026-10-20

Assigner: GitHub, Inc.

Description
follow-redirects is a Node.js HTTP and HTTPS client wrapper that automatically follows redirects. From version 1.16.0 to before version 1.16.1, follow-redirects removes sensitive credential headers (Authorization, Proxy-Authorization, Cookie, and any caller-declared sensitiveHeaders) before following a redirect that crosses to a different host or downgrades to a less secure protocol. The removal routine iterates the caller's headers container with for...in and matches header names against a filter. This assumes the headers container is a plain object keyed by header names. Node's underlying http.request, which follow-redirects is a drop-in replacement for, also accepts headers as an alternating array of names and values. For an array, for...in yields the numeric indices "0", "1", "2" and so on, which never match a header-name filter, so nothing is removed. An application that sends array-form headers and follows an attacker-controlled cross-origin redirect therefore forwards its Authorization, Cookie, and Proxy-Authorization headers verbatim to the attacker-controlled destination, with no error or warning. The sensitiveHeaders option added to fix CVE-2026-40895 / GHSA-r4q5-vmmm-2653 is equally ineffective, because it relies on the same helper. This is an unauthenticated confidentiality vulnerability: any remote server the victim application contacts can harvest the victim's credential headers by responding with a cross-origin redirect. This issue has been patched in version 1.16.1.

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Meta Information

Published
2026-10-20
Last Modified
2026-10-20
Generated
2026-10-20
AI Q&A
2026-10-20
EPSS Evaluated
N/A
NVD
CVE-2026-111756
EUVD
EUVD-2026-105225

Affected Vendors & Products

Showing 1 associated CPE
Vendor Product Version / Range
follow-redirects follow-redirects >= 1.16.0, < 1.16.1

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE
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KEV
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CWE ID Description
CWE-212 The product stores, transfers, or shares a resource that contains sensitive information, but it does not properly remove that information before the product makes the resource available to unauthorized actors.
CWE-200 The product exposes sensitive information to an actor that is not explicitly authorized to have access to that information.

Attack-Flow Graph

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Executive Summary

CVE-2026-111756 is a vulnerability in the follow-redirects library (versions 1.16.0 and earlier) where sensitive credential headers like Authorization, Cookie, and Proxy-Authorization are not properly stripped when following cross-origin redirects. The issue occurs when headers are passed as an array instead of an object. The library's header-stripping mechanism fails for array-form headers because it checks numeric indices instead of header names, causing credentials to be forwarded to attacker-controlled destinations.

Detection Guidance

To detect this vulnerability, check if your application uses follow-redirects versions 1.16.0 or earlier. Inspect HTTP requests for array-form headers (e.g., [header1, value1, header2, value2]). Monitor for unexpected credential headers in redirects, especially cross-origin or protocol-downgraded requests.

Impact Analysis

This vulnerability allows any remote server your application contacts to harvest your credential headers by responding with a cross-origin redirect. If your application sends array-form headers and follows an attacker-controlled redirect, sensitive data like session tokens or cookies could be exposed. This could lead to unauthorized access to accounts or data.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive data, violating GDPR's data protection principles and HIPAA's security requirements for protected health information. Organizations using affected versions may face compliance violations, legal penalties, and reputational damage due to potential data breaches.

Mitigation Strategies
  • Upgrade follow-redirects to version 1.16.1 or later to patch the vulnerability.
  • Avoid using array-form headers in HTTP requests. Use object-form headers instead.
  • Implement strict input validation for headers to prevent array-form usage.
  • Monitor network traffic for unauthorized credential exposure during redirects.

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