GHSA-r3r9-wp5j-pq5g
request-filtering-agent: Synchronous throw from createConnection() for literal private-IP hosts bypasses req.on('error'), crashing the Node.js process
Quick fix
GHSA-r3r9-wp5j-pq5g — request-filtering-agent: upgrade to the fixed version with the command below.
npm install request-filtering-agent@3.2.1Details
### Summary `RequestFilteringHttpAgent` / `RequestFilteringHttpsAgent` block requests to private IPs, but the blocking happens via a **synchronous `throw`** inside `createConnection()` for literal private-IP hostnames (e.g. `169.254.169.254`, `127.0.0.1`). Node.js's `http.request` / `http.get` expects `createConnection` to emit an error asynchronously; a synchronous throw instead escapes the caller's `req.on('error', ...)` handler entirely and becomes an **unhandled exception** that crashes the process.
### Affected `request-filtering-agent` <= 3.2.0 (latest).
### PoC (replicated live on 3.2.0) ```js const http = require('http'); const { RequestFilteringHttpAgent } = require('request-filtering-agent'); const agent = new RequestFilteringHttpAgent(); process.on('uncaughtException', e => { console.log('CRASH:', e.message); // fires — process dies }); const req = http.get({ hostname: '169.254.169.254', port: 80, agent }); req.on('error', e => { /* never reached for literal IPs */ }); ``` Actual output: ``` request-filtering-agent@3.2.0 synchronous throw escaping error event: UNCAUGHT EXCEPTION (process crash): DNS lookup 169.254.169.254(...) is not allowed. Because, It is private IP address. *** CRASH CONFIRMED: createConnection throws sync, bypasses req.on("error") *** ``` Note: hostnames that resolve to private IPs (e.g. `localhost`) are handled via the async lookup path and correctly emit an error event — this asymmetry confirms the sync-throw is a defect.
### Impact Any application using `request-filtering-agent` where an attacker can trigger an HTTP request to a literal private-IP (e.g. from a user-supplied URL that is pre-validated but still reaches `http.get`) will crash the Node.js process — full DoS.
### Fix Instead of throwing synchronously in `createConnection()`, call `callback(error)` (the Node.js `net.createConnection` error-callback convention) or use `process.nextTick(() => socket.destroy(error))` on the returned socket to emit the error asynchronously, allowing `req.on('error')` to handle it.
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Affected packages
0Fixed in: 3.2.1npm install request-filtering-agent@3.2.1References
- https://github.com/azu/request-filtering-agent/security/advisories/GHSA-r3r9-wp5j-pq5g[WEB]
- https://github.com/azu/request-filtering-agent/commit/9d12561064524807fc399158eaa5bd7a40dd8cd0[WEB]
- https://github.com/azu/request-filtering-agent[PACKAGE]
- https://github.com/azu/request-filtering-agent/releases/tag/v3.2.1[WEB]