What is CVE-2020-11021?

CVE-2020-11021 is a medium-severity security vulnerability in @actions/http-client (npm), affecting versions < 1.0.8. It is fixed in 1.0.8.

How severe is CVE-2020-11021?

CVE-2020-11021 has a CVSS score of 6.3 (Medium). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.

Which versions of @actions/http-client are affected by CVE-2020-11021?

@actions/http-client (npm) versions < 1.0.8 is affected.

Is there a fix for CVE-2020-11021?

Yes. CVE-2020-11021 is fixed in 1.0.8. Upgrade to this version or later.

Is CVE-2020-11021 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether CVE-2020-11021 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk.

What actually determines whether CVE-2020-11021 is exploitable, and how bad it is?

Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.

How do I fix CVE-2020-11021?

Upgrade @actions/http-client to 1.0.8 or later.

CVE-2020-11021 in @actions/http-client

Q: How severe is CVE-2020-11021?

CVE-2020-11021 has a CVSS score of 6.3 (Medium). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.

Q: Which versions of @actions/http-client are affected by CVE-2020-11021?

@actions/http-client (npm) versions < 1.0.8 is affected.

Q: Is there a fix for CVE-2020-11021?

Yes. CVE-2020-11021 is fixed in 1.0.8. Upgrade to this version or later.

Q: Is CVE-2020-11021 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether CVE-2020-11021 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk.

Q: What actually determines whether CVE-2020-11021 is exploitable, and how bad it is?

Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.

Q: How do I fix CVE-2020-11021?

Upgrade @actions/http-client to 1.0.8 or later.

Summary

Http request which redirect to another hostname do not strip authorization header in @actions/http-client

Workarounds

None.

References

https://github.com/actions/http-client/pull/27

For more information

If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:

Open an issue in https://github.com/actions/http-client/issues

Impact

If consumers of the http-client:

make an http request with an authorization header
that request leads to a redirect (302) and
the redirect url redirects to another domain or hostname

The authorization header will get passed to the other domain.

Note that since this library is for actions, the GITHUB_TOKEN that is available in actions is generated and scoped per job with these permissions.

CVE-2020-11021 has a CVSS score of 6.3 (Medium). The vector is network-reachable, low privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (1.0.8); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Affected versions

@actions/http-client (< 1.0.8)

Security releases

@actions/http-client → 1.0.8 (npm)

Kodem intelligence

Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.

Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.

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Remediation advice

The problem is fixed in 1.0.8 at npm here. In 1.0.8, the authorization header is stripped before making the redirected request if the hostname is different.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-11021? CVE-2020-11021 is a medium-severity security vulnerability in @actions/http-client (npm), affecting versions < 1.0.8. It is fixed in 1.0.8.
How severe is CVE-2020-11021? CVE-2020-11021 has a CVSS score of 6.3 (Medium). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
Which versions of @actions/http-client are affected by CVE-2020-11021? @actions/http-client (npm) versions < 1.0.8 is affected.
Is there a fix for CVE-2020-11021? Yes. CVE-2020-11021 is fixed in 1.0.8. Upgrade to this version or later.
Is CVE-2020-11021 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2020-11021 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
What actually determines whether CVE-2020-11021 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
How do I fix CVE-2020-11021? Upgrade @actions/http-client to 1.0.8 or later.