http4k: `ServerFilters.DigestAuth` / `DigestAuthProvider` defaulted to an always-true nonce verifier, disabling replay protection in default deployments
GHSA-c7jm-38gq-h67h
Published · Modified
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Description
Impact
ServerFilters.DigestAuth and the underlying DigestAuthProvider both defaulted their nonceVerifier parameter to { true } — i.e. every nonce was accepted regardless of value, age, or prior use. Any deployment using the default configuration had no replay protection on Digest authentication; a captured Authorization: Digest … response could be replayed indefinitely against the same protected resource.
The nonce-verification mechanism in Digest auth is the primary anti-replay control — without it, Digest reduces to a credential bound only to a stale nonce string.
Who is affected: any application using ServerFilters.DigestAuth or DigestAuthProvider with the default nonceVerifier. The broken default has been present since DigestAuthProvider was introduced (2021). Exploitation requires the attacker to first capture a valid Digest response (network observation, log access, etc.) — non-trivial in modern TLS deployments but not impossible. Anyone running Digest auth with default config should treat upgrade as urgent.
Patches
| Line | Fixed in | Edition |
|---|---|---|
| v6.x (Community) | 6.48.0.0 | Community |
| v5.x (LTS) | 5.42.0.0 | Enterprise — contact enterprise@http4k.org (if Digest auth is present in your v5.x line) |
| v4.x (LTS) | 4.51.0.0 | Enterprise — contact enterprise@http4k.org (if Digest auth is present in your v4.x line) |
The fix ([Break]) removes the default value for nonceVerifier from both ServerFilters.DigestAuth and DigestAuthProvider. Callers must now supply a real verifier explicitly — the broken default cannot be silently inherited.
Workarounds
For deployments that cannot upgrade immediately: explicitly supply a nonceVerifier that tracks issued nonces, enforces a TTL, and rejects re-use. Do not rely on the default.
References
- WEB https://github.com/http4k/http4k/security/advisories/GHSA-c7jm-38gq-h67h
- WEB https://github.com/http4k/http4k/commit/4f904b4692
- WEB https://github.com/http4k/http4k/commit/8a52b615b1
- WEB https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc7616#section-3.4
- PACKAGE https://github.com/http4k/http4k
- WEB https://github.com/http4k/http4k/releases/tag/6.48.0.0
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