Summary
AsyncHttpClient re-sends client-wide realm credentials to a cross-origin redirect target
Affected versions
- 3.x: 3.0.9 through 3.0.11
- 2.x: 2.14.5 through 2.16.0
Releases below those floors are covered by the earlier advisories GHSA-cmxv-58fp-fm3g and GHSA-fmxf-pm6p-7xgm: the cross-origin strip that this issue bypasses did not exist yet, so the leak there is the original one rather than this residual.
Workarounds
Set the Realm on the individual request instead of on the client configuration. A per-request realm is stripped correctly on a cross-origin redirect while still authenticating same-origin, so this is a complete workaround with no loss of function. Turning off follow-redirects also avoids it. Note that setStripAuthorizationOnRedirect(true) is not a workaround: it forces the strip, but the configuration fallback re-derived the realm regardless.
Details
The interceptor read the realm as the request's realm or, failing that, the client configuration's realm, which re-attached the config realm after the redirect strip had cleared it. It now reads the realm held on the response future. See also GHSA-cmxv-58fp-fm3g and GHSA-fmxf-pm6p-7xgm.
Impact
A client configured with a client-wide realm (a Realm set on the config builder rather than on an individual request) and following redirects could re-send those credentials to a redirect target on a different origin. The redirect code strips the per-exchange realm, but when the target answered 401 the credentials were re-derived from the client config, handing Basic or Digest credentials, or a Negotiate or NTLM token, to an attacker controlled origin. This is a residual of the earlier cross-origin credential leak advisories, whose strip this bypassed.
CVE-2026-85717 has a CVSS score of 6.8 (Medium). The vector is network-reachable, no 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 (3.0.12, 2.16.1); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.
Affected versions
Security releases
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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Fixed in 3.0.12 on the 3.x line and in 2.16.1 on the 2.x line. The realm is taken from the per-exchange state that the redirect already cleared, rather than being re-derived from the client configuration.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2026-85717? CVE-2026-85717 is a medium-severity security vulnerability in org.asynchttpclient:async-http-client (maven), affecting versions >= 3.0.9, <= 3.0.11. It is fixed in 3.0.12, 2.16.1.
- How severe is CVE-2026-85717? CVE-2026-85717 has a CVSS score of 6.8 (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 org.asynchttpclient:async-http-client are affected by CVE-2026-85717? org.asynchttpclient:async-http-client (maven) versions >= 3.0.9, <= 3.0.11 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2026-85717? Yes. CVE-2026-85717 is fixed in 3.0.12, 2.16.1. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2026-85717 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2026-85717 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-2026-85717 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-2026-85717?
- Upgrade
org.asynchttpclient:async-http-clientto 3.0.12 or later - Upgrade
org.asynchttpclient:async-http-clientto 2.16.1 or later
- Upgrade