CVE-2026-121554 in cordova-plugin-advanced-http
Summary
by MITRE • 11/03/2026
cordova-plugin-advanced-http 1.5.0 through 3.3.1 contains an information disclosure vulnerability that leaks cookies to third-party hosts because the JavaScript layer passes jar-built Cookie headers as ordinary request headers. When a request is redirected to another host via an open or attacker-influenced redirect, native iOS and Android stacks forward the Cookie header, letting attackers hijack user sessions.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/03/2026
The vulnerability in cordova-plugin-advanced-http versions 1.5.0 through 3.3.1 represents a critical information disclosure flaw rooted in improper handling of HTTP headers during cross-origin requests. This plugin serves as an abstraction layer for native iOS and Android networking stacks, allowing Cordova applications to make HTTP requests with enhanced capabilities compared to the standard XMLHttpRequest object. However, within this specific version range, there is a fundamental architectural error where cookie data stored internally by the JavaScript engine or retrieved from jar-built structures is incorrectly exposed as ordinary request headers rather than being managed exclusively through secure, native-level mechanisms designed for session management. This design oversight bypasses the intended isolation boundaries that typically prevent web content from directly manipulating low-level network attributes like authentication credentials.
The technical mechanism of this flaw involves the JavaScript layer passing cookie values directly into the header map of outgoing HTTP requests without sufficient validation or sanitization logic to restrict their scope. Under normal circumstances, modern browsers and native networking stacks automatically manage cookies based on domain policies, ensuring that sensitive session tokens are only sent to the originating server. In this vulnerable implementation, however, these cookies are treated as generic headers. When an application initiates a request to a legitimate target host, if that initial response contains a redirect instruction pointing toward a different origin or third-party domain, the native iOS and Android networking layers faithfully forward all accumulated headers from the original request context. This includes the inadvertently exposed cookie data, effectively transmitting sensitive authentication tokens across domain boundaries where they should remain confined.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe, primarily facilitating session hijacking attacks against users interacting with affected Cordova applications. An attacker can exploit open redirects or influence redirect targets to force the application into sending requests that include valid user cookies to a malicious server controlled by the adversary. Once these cookies are received by the third-party host, they can be used to impersonate the legitimate user, gaining unauthorized access to their account and any associated sensitive data. This attack vector is particularly dangerous because it does not require complex exploitation techniques or prior compromise of the application code; it relies solely on standard HTTP redirect behaviors combined with the plugin's header leakage flaw. The resulting breach compromises confidentiality and integrity, potentially leading to identity theft, financial loss, or further lateral movement within connected systems depending on the privileges associated with the hijacked session.
From a classification perspective, this vulnerability aligns closely with CWE-201: Information Exposure Through Sent Data, as it involves the unintended transmission of sensitive information via network protocols. It also relates to CWE-359: Exposure of Private Personal Information to an Unauthorized Actor when considering the specific nature of cookie data containing session identifiers and potentially other personal details. In terms of offensive security frameworks, this flaw supports techniques categorized under ATT&CK T1078: Valid Accounts, specifically the aspect involving account hijacking through credential theft via network manipulation. The attack path leverages standard web navigation behaviors to exfiltrate credentials, making it difficult for traditional perimeter defenses to detect without specific inspection of header contents and redirect chains.
Mitigation strategies must focus on immediate patching and architectural review. Organizations utilizing this plugin should upgrade to a version that resolves the header leakage issue, ensuring that cookie handling is delegated entirely to native networking stacks with proper domain restriction policies enforced at the OS level rather than in JavaScript. For applications where upgrading is not immediately feasible, developers can implement workarounds such as disabling automatic redirect following and manually inspecting response headers before issuing subsequent requests, thereby preventing the blind forwarding of cookies to unintended hosts. Additionally, implementing strict Content Security Policy directives that limit allowed origins for network connections can reduce the attack surface by restricting which domains receive data from the application. Regular security audits focusing on how third-party libraries handle sensitive state information are essential to prevent similar misconfigurations in future updates or alternative plugins.