GHSA-72h4-mxfc-jx37
### Summary Heimdall performs host matching in a case-sensitive manner, while HTTP hostnames are case-insensitive. This discrepancy can result in heimdall failing to match a rule for a request host that differs only in letter casing, potentially causing the request to be classified differently than intended. **Note:** The issue can only lead to unintended access if heimdall is configured with an "allow all" default rule. Since v0.16.0, heimdall enforces secure defaults and refuses to start with such a configuration unless this enforcement is explicitly disabled, e.g. via `--insecure-skip-secure-default-rule-enforcement` or the broader `--insecure` flag. ### Details This vulnerability can potentially be exploited by an adversary if rule matching relies on the request host. For example, consider the following rule: ```yaml id: rule-1 match: hosts: - type: exact value: admin.example.com execute: # configured to require authentication and authorization # ... ``` If an adversary now sends a request with the `Host` header set to `Admin.Example.Com`, rule-1 will not be matched, and the following will happen instead: * If no default rule is configured, the request will result in an error (`404 Not Found`) * If a default rule is configured, it will be executed. If the default rule is configured in an overly permissive way (e.g. allowing anonymous access), this results in a policy bypass. ### Impact Bypass of access control policies enforced by heimdall may lead to the following consequences: * Access to or modification of data that should be restricted * Invocation of functionality that is expected to require authentication or authorization * In certain configurations, escalation of privileges depending on the exposed functionality ### Workarounds * Normalize request hosts to lowercase in the layers in front of heimdall. * Do not configure a permissive default rule. Respectively, do not make use of the `--insecure` or the `--insecure-skip-secure-de
Properties
- ghsa_id
- GHSA-72h4-mxfc-jx37
- severity
- high
- summary
- Heimdall: Case-sensitive host matching may lead to policy bypass
- cve_id
- GHSA-72h4-mxfc-jx37
- is_ghsa_only
- true
- ghsa_published
- 2026-04-25T23:30:18Z
- source_url
- https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-72h4-mxfc-jx37
- ghsa_updated
- 2026-04-25T23:30:19Z
Related Entities (5)
VULNERABLE_TO (1)
AFFECTS (1)
HAS_WEAKNESS (2)
REPORTED_BY (1)
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