Know every vulnerabilitybefore it knows you.
DevGuard continuously monitors your dependencies and alerts you when CVEs like this one affect your stack — with real-time threat intelligence built for developers.
GHSA-jrpc-7vxp-69p6
org.http4k/http4k-coreorg.http4k/http4k-coreorg.http4k/http4k-coreImpact
reverseProxy() and reverseProxyRouting() matched configured vhosts by substring on the Host header (Contains matcher) by default. The intended use of these functions in http4k is outbound dispatch (e.g. matching AWS service subdomains, per the Contains docstring) and test-time composition of fake backend networks. In either of those contexts the matched Host is set by the calling application, not by an external attacker, so the loose match has no exploit surface.
If, however, reverseProxy() was deployed as a public-facing inbound HTTP handler — which the function technically supports but is not the documented intent — an external attacker could send Host: admin.evil.com and reach a vhost configured as admin, bypassing routing-based authorization.
The Contains matcher's docstring explicitly documented this loose behaviour, but because Contains was the default, callers who never read the matcher docs would still get the loose behaviour.
Who is affected: only deployments using reverseProxy() / reverseProxyRouting() as a public-facing inbound HTTP handler with two or more configured virtual hosts. The intended outbound / test-time usage is unaffected. If you did deploy reverseProxy() inbound and rely on multi-vhost routing for authorization, treat upgrade as urgent.
Patches
| Line | Fixed in | Edition |
|------|----------|---------|
| v6.x (Community) | 6.49.0.0 | Community |
| v5.x (LTS) | 5.42.0.0 | Enterprise — contact enterprise@http4k.org (if reverseProxy() is present in your v5.x line) |
| v4.x (LTS) | 4.51.0.0 | Enterprise — contact enterprise@http4k.org (if reverseProxy() is present in your v4.x line) |
The fix changes the default matcher to Exact. Existing callers that genuinely need substring matching (e.g. AWS subdomain dispatch) must explicitly pass matcher = Contains.
Workarounds
For deployments that cannot upgrade immediately: wrap your reverseProxy() with a host-allow-list filter that requires an exact match against expected vhost names before delegating.
Upload your own SBOM in CycloneDX 1.6 or higher (JSON) directly here to check your vulnerabilities.
Drag and drop some file here, or click to select
The vulnerability can be exploited over the network without needing physical access. It is easy for an attacker to exploit this vulnerability. An attacker does not need any special privileges or access rights. No user interaction is needed for the attacker to exploit this vulnerability.
Limited exploitation activity has been observed. Close monitoring and planned remediation are recommended.
The exploit probability is very low. The vulnerability is unlikely to be exploited in the next 30 days.
We did not find any exploit available. Neither in GitHub repositories nor in the Exploit-Database.
Browse More
Continuously monitor your dependencies and get alerted when vulnerabilities like this one affect your stack.
Checkout DevGuard