CVE-2023-38697
protocol-http1 HTTP Request/Response Smuggling vulnerability
protocol-http1 provides a low-level implementation of the HTTP/1 protocol. RFC 9112 Section 7.1 defined the format of chunk size, chunk data and chunk extension. The value of Content-Length header should be a string of 0-9 digits, the chunk size should be a string of hex digits and should split from chunk data using CRLF, and the chunk extension shouldn't contain any invisible character. However, Falcon has following behaviors while disobey the corresponding RFCs: accepting Content-Length header values that have + prefix, accepting Content-Length header values that written in hexadecimal with 0x prefix, accepting 0x and + prefixed chunk size, and accepting LF in chunk extension. This behavior can lead to desync when forwarding through multiple HTTP parsers, potentially results in HTTP request smuggling and firewall bypassing. This issue is fixed in protocol-http1 v0.15.1. There are no known workarounds.
Attack profile
How easy it is to exploit
- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges needed
- None
- User interaction
- None
What an attacker can affect
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- None
Exploit likelihood
What each source reports
CVE List Score used
5.8
protocol-http1 HTTP Request/Response Smuggling vulnerability
protocol-http1 provides a low-level implementation of the HTTP/1 protocol. RFC 9112 Section 7.1 defined the format of chunk size, chunk data and chunk extension. The value of Content-Length header should be a string of 0-9 digits, the chunk size should be a string of hex digits and should split from chunk data using CRLF, and the chunk extension shouldn't contain any invisible character. However, Falcon has following behaviors while disobey the corresponding RFCs: accepting Content-Length header values that have + prefix, accepting Content-Length header values that written in hexadecimal with 0x prefix, accepting 0x and + prefixed chunk size, and accepting LF in chunk extension. This behavior can lead to desync when forwarding through multiple HTTP parsers, potentially results in HTTP request smuggling and firewall bypassing. This issue is fixed in protocol-http1 v0.15.1. There are no known workarounds.
- Record
CVE-2023-38697- CVSS 3.1
- 5.8 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:L/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-444
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2023-2225
5.8
protocol-http1 provides a low-level implementation of the HTTP/1 protocol. RFC 9112 Section 7.1 defined the format of chunk size, chunk data and chunk extension. The value of Content-Length header should be a string of 0-9 digits, the chunk size should be a string of hex digits and should split from chunk data using CRLF, and the chunk extension shouldn't contain any invisible character. However, Falcon has following behaviors while disobey the corresponding RFCs: accepting Content-Length header values that have + prefix, accepting Content-Length header values that written in hexadecimal with 0x prefix, accepting 0x and + prefixed chunk size, and accepting LF in chunk extension. This behavior can lead to desync when forwarding through multiple HTTP parsers, potentially results in HTTP request smuggling and firewall bypassing. This issue is fixed in protocol-http1 v0.15.1. There are no known workarounds.
- Record
EUVD-2023-2225- CVSS 3.1
- 5.8 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:L/A:N - Updated
- 2026-11-03
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-6jwc-qr2q-7xwj
5.8
protocol-http1 HTTP Request/Response Smuggling vulnerability
Impact
RFC 9112 Section 7.1 defined the format of chunk size, chunk data and chunk extension (detailed ABNF is in Appendix section).
In summary:
- The value of Content-Length header should be a string of 0-9 digits.
- The chunk size should be a string of hex digits and should split from chunk data using CRLF.
- The chunk extension shouldn't contain any invisible character.
However, we found that Falcon has following behaviors while disobey the corresponding RFCs.
- Falcon accepts Content-Length header values that have "+" prefix.
- Falcon accepts Content-Length header values that written in hexadecimal with "0x" prefix.
- Falcon accepts "0x" and "+" prefixed chunk size.
- Falcon accepts LF in chunk extension.
This behavior can lead to desync when forwarding through multiple HTTP parsers, potentially results in HTTP request smuggling and firewall bypassing. Note that while these issues were reproduced in Falcon (the server), the issue is with protocol-http1 which implements the HTTP/1 protocol parser. We have not yet been advised of any real world exploit or practical attack.
Patches
Fixed in protocol-http1 v0.15.1+.
Workarounds
None.
References
- Record
GHSA-6jwc-qr2q-7xwj- CVSS 3.1
- 5.8 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:L/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-444
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
NVD
5.8
protocol-http1 provides a low-level implementation of the HTTP/1 protocol. RFC 9112 Section 7.1 defined the format of chunk size, chunk data and chunk extension. The value of Content-Length header should be a string of 0-9 digits, the chunk size should be a string of hex digits and should split from chunk data using CRLF, and the chunk extension shouldn't contain any invisible character. However, Falcon has following behaviors while disobey the corresponding RFCs: accepting Content-Length header values that have + prefix, accepting Content-Length header values that written in hexadecimal with 0x prefix, accepting 0x and + prefixed chunk size, and accepting LF in chunk extension. This behavior can lead to desync when forwarding through multiple HTTP parsers, potentially results in HTTP request smuggling and firewall bypassing. This issue is fixed in protocol-http1 v0.15.1. There are no known workarounds.
- Record
CVE-2023-38697- CVSS 3.1
- 5.8 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:L/A:N - CVSS 3.1
- 5.3 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-444
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVAZL-27830
5.3
CVE-2023-38697 affecting package rubygem-protocol-http1 for versions less than 0.15.1-1
protocol-http1 provides a low-level implementation of the HTTP/1 protocol. RFC 9112 Section 7.1 defined the format of chunk size, chunk data and chunk extension. The value of Content-Length header should be a string of 0-9 digits, the chunk size should be a string of hex digits and should split from chunk data using CRLF, and the chunk extension shouldn't contain any invisible character. However, Falcon has following behaviors while disobey the corresponding RFCs: accepting Content-Length header values that have + prefix, accepting Content-Length header values that written in hexadecimal with 0x prefix, accepting 0x and + prefixed chunk size, and accepting LF in chunk extension. This behavior can lead to desync when forwarding through multiple HTTP parsers, potentially results in HTTP request smuggling and firewall bypassing. This issue is fixed in protocol-http1 v0.15.1. There are no known workarounds.
- Record
AZL-27830- CVSS 3.1
- 5.3 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSV
5.8
protocol-http1 HTTP Request/Response Smuggling vulnerability
protocol-http1 provides a low-level implementation of the HTTP/1 protocol. RFC 9112 Section 7.1 defined the format of chunk size, chunk data and chunk extension. The value of Content-Length header should be a string of 0-9 digits, the chunk size should be a string of hex digits and should split from chunk data using CRLF, and the chunk extension shouldn't contain any invisible character. However, Falcon has following behaviors while disobey the corresponding RFCs: accepting Content-Length header values that have + prefix, accepting Content-Length header values that written in hexadecimal with 0x prefix, accepting 0x and + prefixed chunk size, and accepting LF in chunk extension. This behavior can lead to desync when forwarding through multiple HTTP parsers, potentially results in HTTP request smuggling and firewall bypassing. This issue is fixed in protocol-http1 v0.15.1. There are no known workarounds.
- Record
CVE-2023-38697- CVSS 3.1
- 5.8 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:L/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-444
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVDEBIAN-CVE-2023-38697
5.3
protocol-http1 provides a low-level implementation of the HTTP/1 protocol. RFC 9112 Section 7.1 defined the format of chunk size, chunk data and chunk extension. The value of Content-Length header should be a string of 0-9 digits, the chunk size should be a string of hex digits and should split from chunk data using CRLF, and the chunk extension shouldn't contain any invisible character. However, Falcon has following behaviors while disobey the corresponding RFCs: accepting Content-Length header values that have + prefix, accepting Content-Length header values that written in hexadecimal with 0x prefix, accepting 0x and + prefixed chunk size, and accepting LF in chunk extension. This behavior can lead to desync when forwarding through multiple HTTP parsers, potentially results in HTTP request smuggling and firewall bypassing. This issue is fixed in protocol-http1 v0.15.1. There are no known workarounds.
- Record
DEBIAN-CVE-2023-38697- CVSS 3.1
- 5.3 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVGHSA-6jwc-qr2q-7xwj
5.8
protocol-http1 HTTP Request/Response Smuggling vulnerability
Impact
RFC 9112 Section 7.1 defined the format of chunk size, chunk data and chunk extension (detailed ABNF is in Appendix section).
In summary:
- The value of Content-Length header should be a string of 0-9 digits.
- The chunk size should be a string of hex digits and should split from chunk data using CRLF.
- The chunk extension shouldn't contain any invisible character.
However, we found that Falcon has following behaviors while disobey the corresponding RFCs.
- Falcon accepts Content-Length header values that have "+" prefix.
- Falcon accepts Content-Length header values that written in hexadecimal with "0x" prefix.
- Falcon accepts "0x" and "+" prefixed chunk size.
- Falcon accepts LF in chunk extension.
This behavior can lead to desync when forwarding through multiple HTTP parsers, potentially results in HTTP request smuggling and firewall bypassing. Note that while these issues were reproduced in Falcon (the server), the issue is with protocol-http1 which implements the HTTP/1 protocol parser. We have not yet been advised of any real world exploit or practical attack.
Patches
Fixed in protocol-http1 v0.15.1+.
Workarounds
None.
References
- Record
GHSA-6jwc-qr2q-7xwj- CVSS 3.1
- 5.8 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:L/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-444
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVUBUNTU-CVE-2023-38697
5.8
protocol-http1 provides a low-level implementation of the HTTP/1 protocol. RFC 9112 Section 7.1 defined the format of chunk size, chunk data and chunk extension. The value of Content-Length header should be a string of 0-9 digits, the chunk size should be a string of hex digits and should split from chunk data using CRLF, and the chunk extension shouldn't contain any invisible character. However, Falcon has following behaviors while disobey the corresponding RFCs: accepting Content-Length header values that have + prefix, accepting Content-Length header values that written in hexadecimal with 0x prefix, accepting 0x and + prefixed chunk size, and accepting LF in chunk extension. This behavior can lead to desync when forwarding through multiple HTTP parsers, potentially results in HTTP request smuggling and firewall bypassing. This issue is fixed in protocol-http1 v0.15.1. There are no known workarounds.
- Record
UBUNTU-CVE-2023-38697- CVSS 3.1
- 5.8 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:L/A:N - CVSS 3.1
- 5.3 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N - Updated
- 2026-11-02
Affected products
Affected packages
| Package | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|
protocol-http1RubyGems |
before 0.15.1 | 0.15.1 |
rubygem-protocol-http1Azure Linux:2 |
before 0.15.1-1 | 0.15.1-1 |
ruby-protocol-http1Debian:12 |
All versions, plus listed versions 0.14.6-10.35.2-10.37.0-10.39.0-10.40.0-10.41.0-1 |
None known |
ruby-protocol-http1Debian:14 |
before 0.35.2-1, plus listed versions 0.12.0-10.13.0-10.13.0-20.13.0-30.13.1-1 Show 4 moreShow less0.14.0-10.14.1-10.14.2-10.14.6-1 |
0.35.2-1 |
protocol-http1RubyGems |
before 0.15.1, plus listed versions 0.1.00.10.00.10.10.10.20.10.3 Show 25 moreShow less0.11.00.11.10.12.00.13.00.13.10.13.20.14.00.14.10.14.20.14.30.14.40.14.60.15.00.2.00.3.00.4.00.4.10.5.00.6.00.7.00.8.00.8.10.8.20.8.30.9.0 |
0.15.1 |
ruby-protocol-http1Ubuntu:22.04:LTS |
All versions, plus listed versions 0.13.1-10.14.2-1 |
None known |
ruby-protocol-http1Ubuntu:24.04:LTS |
All versions, plus listed versions 0.14.6-1 |
None known |
ruby-protocol-http1Ubuntu:25.10 |
All versions, plus listed versions 0.14.6-1 |
None known |
ruby-protocol-http1Ubuntu:26.10 |
All versions, plus listed versions 0.37.0-10.39.0-10.40.0-1 |
None known |
ruby-protocol-http1Ubuntu:26.04:LTS |
All versions, plus listed versions 0.14.6-10.35.2-10.37.0-1 |
None known |
History
| Recorded | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| aliases | EUVD | |
| first indexed | CVE List, GitHub Advisories, NVD, OSV |
Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.
In short
CVE-2023-38697 is a medium vulnerability (CVSS 5.8) in Socketry Protocol-http1, published August 3, 2023. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 0.75%, the 55th percentile. Fixed in protocol-http1 0.15.1.
References
github.com/socketry/protocol-http1/security/advisories/GHSA-6jwc-qr2q-7xwj
github.com/socketry/protocol-http1/pull/20
github.com/socketry/protocol-http1/commit/e11fc164fd2b36f7b7e785e69fa8859eb06bcedd
rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc9112
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-38697
github.com/rubysec/ruby-advisory-db/blob/master/gems/protocol-http1/CVE-2023-38697.yml