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AsyncHttpClient: Pooled connections can still be shared across NTLM, Negotiate and proxy logins

High severity GitHub Reviewed Published Sep 24, 2026 in AsyncHttpClient/async-http-client • Updated Oct 8, 2026

Package

maven org.asynchttpclient:async-http-client (Maven)

Affected versions

>= 3.0.0, < 3.0.14
>= 2.0.0, <= 2.16.1

Patched versions

3.0.14

Description

Impact

The fix for GHSA-vvp4-63h8-v5pm in 3.0.13 folded the authenticated principal into the HTTP/1.1 connection pool key, so that a connection one principal authenticated with NTLM, Kerberos or SPNEGO is not handed to another. It left three cases out. In each, a socket that one identity authenticated can still be drawn by a request belonging to a different identity, and the server serves that request as the first one.

  1. A login with no configured principal. Kerberos and SPNEGO against the ticket cache or the default JAAS login, which is the usual deployment, leave the realm's principal unset, and the key stayed unscoped in that case. A request to the same host that carries no credentials at all draws the authenticated socket and is served as the service identity.
  2. The proxy realm. Only the origin realm went into the key. A connection authenticated to a proxy with NTLM or Negotiate is handed to requests of another proxy identity, or of none, and the proxy acts for them as the first identity.
  3. Identities that share a user name. Only the principal string went into the key, so CORP\alice and OTHER\alice shared connections, as did two realms differing only in password, login context, keytab or service principal. The Kerberos login cache in SpnegoEngine had the same collision, and it was an unsynchronised map, so concurrent first use could hand one caller's login to another.

Who is Impacted

Applications that authenticate with NTLM, Kerberos or SPNEGO, to an origin or to a proxy, and send requests under different identities, or both with and without credentials, to the same host through one client. The sharpest case is a service that calls an internal host under its own Kerberos identity and also fetches user-supplied URLs: a URL on that host is fetched as the service. Basic and Digest are not affected.

Affected versions

  • 3.x: 3.0.13
  • 2.x: 2.16.1

Earlier versions are covered by GHSA-vvp4-63h8-v5pm.

Patches

Fixed in 3.0.14. The pool key now carries a digest of every field of the realm that decides which identity the connection ends up as, for the origin and the proxy separately, and a realm that authenticates the connection is scoped whether or not it names a principal. SpnegoEngine caches logins in a concurrent map keyed by every other field of that identity, and replaces a cached login when the password changes.

The 2.x line is end of life and will not receive a fix. Upgrade to 3.0.14.

Workarounds

Use a separate AsyncHttpClient instance per identity, and do not share one between authenticated and unauthenticated requests to a host that uses NTLM or Negotiate. Disabling connection pooling also removes the reuse.

Incomplete fix of GHSA-vvp4-63h8-v5pm.

References

Published by the National Vulnerability Database Oct 7, 2026
Published to the GitHub Advisory Database Oct 8, 2026
Reviewed Oct 8, 2026
Last updated Oct 8, 2026

Severity

High

CVSS overall score

This score calculates overall vulnerability severity from 0 to 10 and is based on the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS).
/ 10

CVSS v3 base metrics

Attack vector
Network
Attack complexity
High
Privileges required
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
None

CVSS v3 base metrics

Attack vector: More severe the more the remote (logically and physically) an attacker can be in order to exploit the vulnerability.
Attack complexity: More severe for the least complex attacks.
Privileges required: More severe if no privileges are required.
User interaction: More severe when no user interaction is required.
Scope: More severe when a scope change occurs, e.g. one vulnerable component impacts resources in components beyond its security scope.
Confidentiality: More severe when loss of data confidentiality is highest, measuring the level of data access available to an unauthorized user.
Integrity: More severe when loss of data integrity is the highest, measuring the consequence of data modification possible by an unauthorized user.
Availability: More severe when the loss of impacted component availability is highest.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N

EPSS score

Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS)

This score estimates the probability of this vulnerability being exploited within the next 30 days. Data provided by FIRST.
(8th percentile)

Weaknesses

Origin Validation Error

The product does not properly verify that the source of data or communication is valid. Learn more on MITRE.

Incorrect Authorization

The product performs an authorization check when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action, but it does not correctly perform the check. Learn more on MITRE.

CVE ID

CVE-2026-107230

GHSA ID

GHSA-v2j5-22fr-j62r
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