GHSA-j5g3-5c8r-7qfx
Prevent logging invalid header values
GHSA-j5g3-5c8r-7qfx is a vulnerability with no CVSS score yet in @apollo/server, published August 30, 2023. No source lists public exploit code. Fixed in @apollo/server 4.9.3.
- Severity
- UnratedNo CVSS score yet
- Exploit chance
- UnscoredNo EPSS score yet
- Exploitation
- None knownNot on CISA’s or ENISA’s lists
- Fixed in
4.9.3@apollo/server +2 more
Description
Impact
What kind of vulnerability is it?
Apollo Server can log sensitive information (Studio API keys) if they are passed incorrectly (with leading/trailing whitespace) or if they have any characters that are invalid as part of a header value.
Who is impacted?
Users who (all of the below):
- use either the schema reporting or usage reporting feature
- use an Apollo Studio API key which has invalid header values
- use the default fetcher (
node-fetch) or configured their ownnode-fetchfetcher
The following node snippet can test whether your API key has invalid header values. This code is taken directly from node-fetch@2's header value validation code.
const invalidHeaderCharRegex = /[^\t\x20-\x7e\x80-\xff]/;
if (invalidHeaderCharRegex.test('<YOUR_API_KEY>')) {
console.log('potentially affected');
}
console.log('unaffected');
If the provided API key is not a valid header value, whenever Apollo Server uses that API key in a request (to Studio, for example), node-fetch will throw an error which contains the header value. This error is logged in various ways depending on the user's configuration, but most likely the console or some configured logging service.
Patches
This problem is patched in the latest version of Apollo Server as soon as this advisory is published.
Workarounds
- Try retrieving a new API key from Studio. Note: this may not work if the invalid character is not part of the secret (it may be derived from identifiers like graph name, user name).
- Override the
fetcher - Disable schema reporting and/or usage reporting
Solution
- Apollo Server will now call
.trim()on incoming API keys in order to eliminate leading/trailing whitespace and log a warning when it does so. - Apollo Server will now perform the same validation of API keys as
node-fetch@2performs on header values on startup. Apollo Server will throw an error on startup (i.e., fail to start completely) and notify the user their API key is invalid along with the offending characters.
Affected packages
| Package | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|
@apollo/servernpm | before 4.9.3 | 4.9.3 |
apollo-server-corenpm | 3.0.0 up to 3.12.1 | 3.12.1 |
apollo-server-corenpm | before 2.26.1 | 2.26.1 |
What each source reports
GitHub AdvisoriesNo score
Prevent logging invalid header values
Impact
What kind of vulnerability is it?
Apollo Server can log sensitive information (Studio API keys) if they are passed incorrectly (with leading/trailing whitespace) or if they have any characters that are invalid as part of a header value.
Who is impacted?
Users who (all of the below):
- use either the schema reporting or usage reporting feature
- use an Apollo Studio API key which has invalid header values
- use the default fetcher (
node-fetch) or configured their ownnode-fetchfetcher
The following node snippet can test whether your API key has invalid header values. This code is taken directly from node-fetch@2's header value validation code.
const invalidHeaderCharRegex = /[^\t\x20-\x7e\x80-\xff]/;
if (invalidHeaderCharRegex.test('<YOUR_API_KEY>')) {
console.log('potentially affected');
}
console.log('unaffected');
If the provided API key is not a valid header value, whenever Apollo Server uses that API key in a request (to Studio, for example), node-fetch will throw an error which contains the header value. This error is logged in various ways depending on the user's configuration, but most likely the console or some configured logging service.
Patches
This problem is patched in the latest version of Apollo Server as soon as this advisory is published.
Workarounds
- Try retrieving a new API key from Studio. Note: this may not work if the invalid character is not part of the secret (it may be derived from identifiers like graph name, user name).
- Override the
fetcher - Disable schema reporting and/or usage reporting
Solution
- Apollo Server will now call
.trim()on incoming API keys in order to eliminate leading/trailing whitespace and log a warning when it does so. - Apollo Server will now perform the same validation of API keys as
node-fetch@2performs on header values on startup. Apollo Server will throw an error on startup (i.e., fail to start completely) and notify the user their API key is invalid along with the offending characters.
- Record
GHSA-j5g3-5c8r-7qfx- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVNo score
Prevent logging invalid header values
Impact
What kind of vulnerability is it?
Apollo Server can log sensitive information (Studio API keys) if they are passed incorrectly (with leading/trailing whitespace) or if they have any characters that are invalid as part of a header value.
Who is impacted?
Users who (all of the below):
- use either the schema reporting or usage reporting feature
- use an Apollo Studio API key which has invalid header values
- use the default fetcher (
node-fetch) or configured their ownnode-fetchfetcher
The following node snippet can test whether your API key has invalid header values. This code is taken directly from node-fetch@2's header value validation code.
const invalidHeaderCharRegex = /[^\t\x20-\x7e\x80-\xff]/;
if (invalidHeaderCharRegex.test('<YOUR_API_KEY>')) {
console.log('potentially affected');
}
console.log('unaffected');
If the provided API key is not a valid header value, whenever Apollo Server uses that API key in a request (to Studio, for example), node-fetch will throw an error which contains the header value. This error is logged in various ways depending on the user's configuration, but most likely the console or some configured logging service.
Patches
This problem is patched in the latest version of Apollo Server as soon as this advisory is published.
Workarounds
- Try retrieving a new API key from Studio. Note: this may not work if the invalid character is not part of the secret (it may be derived from identifiers like graph name, user name).
- Override the
fetcher - Disable schema reporting and/or usage reporting
Solution
- Apollo Server will now call
.trim()on incoming API keys in order to eliminate leading/trailing whitespace and log a warning when it does so. - Apollo Server will now perform the same validation of API keys as
node-fetch@2performs on header values on startup. Apollo Server will throw an error on startup (i.e., fail to start completely) and notify the user their API key is invalid along with the offending characters.
- Record
GHSA-j5g3-5c8r-7qfx- Updated
- 2026-11-02
History
| Recorded | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| first indexed | GitHub Advisories, OSV |
Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.
References
github.com/apollographql/apollo-server/security/advisories/GHSA-j5g3-5c8r-7qfx
github.com/apollographql/apollo-server/commit/2c8106c433c4add4b43e2e2b2f5c5c4887b17314
github.com/apollographql/apollo-server/commit/d38b43bac88acdef4295759d7dcc3d4c348d9575
github.com/advisories/GHSA-j5g3-5c8r-7qfx
github.com/apollographql/apollo-server