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HighPublic exploit

Axios NO_PROXY bypass via IPv4-mapped IPv6 addresses

IdentifiersCVE-2026-44492CWE-918· Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF)

CVE-2026-44492 is a proxy-bypass vulnerability in Axios, the promise-based HTTP client for browsers and Node.js. In vulnerable versions prior to 0.32.0 and 1.16.0, Axios's proxy bypass logic does not normalize IPv4-mapped IPv6 addresses before evaluating NO_PROXY exclusions. As a result, when NO_PROXY contains IPv4 literals such as 127.0.0.1 or 169.254.169.254, an attacker can supply the equivalent IPv4-mapped IPv6 form, such as ::ffff:7f00:1 or ::ffff:a9fe:a9fe, and Axios will fail to recognize that the destination should bypass the proxy. In Node.js, these mapped addresses are resolved to the underlying IPv4 host, so the request is still sent to the intended internal destination, but through the configured proxy path. The issue is described as an incomplete fix related to prior proxy-bypass handling and can expose internal-only services or metadata endpoints to SSRF-style access.

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ANALYST BRIEF

Impact, mitigation & remediation

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Impact

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Successful exploitation allows attacker-controlled request destinations to bypass NO_PROXY-based protections for internal IPv4 hosts by encoding them as IPv4-mapped IPv6 addresses. In deployments that use Axios with a configured HTTP or HTTPS proxy and rely on NO_PROXY to prevent proxy-mediated access to localhost, link-local, or cloud metadata endpoints, this can enable server-side request forgery against internal services, including access to instance metadata such as 169.254.169.254. The primary impact is unauthorized access to sensitive internal resources and possible credential or token exfiltration from metadata services. The provided CVSS vector indicates high confidentiality impact with changed scope.

Mitigation

If you can’t patch tonight, do this now.

If immediate patching is not possible, do not rely solely on Axios NO_PROXY matching to protect sensitive internal destinations when request URLs may be attacker-controlled. Implement explicit destination validation and denylist or allowlist enforcement before requests are issued. Specifically block IPv4-mapped IPv6 representations of sensitive IPv4 hosts, including forms equivalent to 127.0.0.1 and 169.254.169.254. Additionally, restrict proxy-mediated egress to internal networks and metadata services at the network or proxy layer so that even misclassified requests cannot reach those destinations.

Remediation

Patch, then assume compromise.

Upgrade Axios to a fixed release: 0.32.0 or 1.16.0 or later. The fix canonicalizes or otherwise properly handles IPv4-mapped IPv6 addresses during NO_PROXY comparison so that equivalent IPv4 destinations cannot evade exclusion rules. After upgrading, validate proxy-bypass behavior for localhost, link-local, and metadata endpoints, including alternate textual address representations.
PUBLIC EXPLOITS

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VALID 0 / 0 TOTALView more in app

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EXPOSURE SURFACE

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VendorProductType
AxiosAxiosapplication

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