hunt-http-smuggling
Makes your agent search for HTTP request smuggling flaws. It helps protect web applications against complex attacks that manipulate requests.
What it does
This tool searches for a security vulnerability called 'HTTP request smuggling'. It attempts to exploit how a web server handles malicious requests to access information or functionalities that should not be accessible.
When to use it
- ✓When testing the security of a website or web application.
- ✓To check if a server is vulnerable to 'smuggling' attacks.
- ✓As part of an authorized security audit.
Example of what to ask your AI
“Check if the website [website URL] is vulnerable to HTTP request smuggling.”
Want more? Open the sections below.
How to use
The easiest way: copy the message below and paste it into Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor or any AI. It reads the skill and follows the instructions.
Skill link
Ready-to-paste message
How it works
The tool sends specially crafted requests to the server. It analyzes the responses to identify if the server was tricked into processing the request unexpectedly, indicating a vulnerability.
Installation
Easiest way: copy the skill link and paste it into Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor asking it to follow the instructions.
In the terminal (Claude Code, Codex, Cursor), in your project folder:
npx skills add sickn33/agentic-awesome-skills --skill hunt-http-smugglingOr download just the file:
curl -L https://raw.githubusercontent.com/sickn33/agentic-awesome-skills/main/plugins/agentic-awesome-skills-claude/skills/hunt-http-smuggling/SKILL.md -o SKILL.mdTechnical content (original SKILL.md)
Original text by the author, straight from GitHub.
⚠️ AUTHORIZED USE ONLY This skill is for educational purposes or authorized security assessments only. You must have explicit, written permission from the system owner before using this tool. Misuse of this tool is illegal and strictly prohibited.
Mandatory confirmation gate Before running any command that probes, exploits, changes, persists on, extracts data from, or attempts credential access against a target:
- Ask the user to state the exact target URL, IP, account, or resource.
- Ask the user to confirm written authorization and the permitted scope.
- Show the exact command(s) and explain their expected effect.
- Wait for explicit confirmation in the current conversation.
Without that confirmation, remain read-only and provide defensive guidance only. Prefer a sandbox, disposable VM, or controlled lab.
HTTP REQUEST SMUGGLING
Lowest dup rate. $5K–$30K. PortSwigger research by James Kettle.
CL.TE (Content-Length front, Transfer-Encoding back)
POST / HTTP/1.1
Content-Length: 13
Transfer-Encoding: chunked
0
SMUGGLED
Detection
1. Burp extension: HTTP Request Smuggler
2. Right-click request → Extensions → HTTP Request Smuggler → Smuggle probe
3. Manual timing: CL.TE probe + ~10s delay = backend waiting for rest of body
Impact Chain
Poison next request → access admin as victim
Steal credentials → capture victim's session
Cache poisoning → stored XSS at scale
Target-Suitability Matrix (2026 reality check)
The classic CL.TE / TE.CL payloads are NOT universally exploitable in 2026. Modern proxies are RFC 9112 strict by default. Fingerprint the front-end BEFORE investing time.
| Front-end | CL.TE | TE.CL | H2.CL | H2.TE | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nginx ≥ 1.21 | NO | NO | partial (H2 ingress) | partial | RFC-strict; rejects CL+TE with HTTP 400. Verified locally on Nginx 1.27 — all 9 documented variants killed by front-end (docs/verification/phase2h-smuggling-cachepoison.md). |
| Caddy 2.x | NO | NO | — | — | Hardened by default |
| Envoy ≥ 1.20 | NO | NO | partial | partial | Hardened in most paths |
| HAProxy ≤ 2.4 | ✓ | ✓ | — | — | Vulnerable, see CVE-2021-40346 |
| AWS ALB + specific upstream | partial | partial | ✓ | ✓ | Several disclosed-paid reports 2022-2024 |
| Cloudflare → S3 / Lambda chains | — | — | ✓ | ✓ | H2-downgrade attacks remain viable |
| Older F5 BIG-IP (TMM < 16) | ✓ | — | — | — | Vendor advisories |
| Citrix ADC / NetScaler (older firmware) | ✓ | ✓ | — | — | Disclosed in 2020-2022 |
| Squid 3.x | ✓ | — | — | — | Older deployments |
| Apache Traffic Server (older) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | PortSwigger research |
| Apache mod_proxy_ajp → Tomcat | — | — | — | — | Cross-protocol HTTP→AJP desync (CVE-2022-26377); smuggled request is opaque to the WAF and reaches internal AJP admin/status paths that lack the external auth controls |
| Custom Python / Go proxies | ✓ | ✓ | — | — | Frequently miss RFC enforcement |
Operator fingerprint quick-check
curl -sI https://target/ | grep -i "Server:"
nginx/1.21+,Caddy,envoy→ CL/TE classic is dead — pivot to H2.CL/H2.TE if the front-end speaks HTTP/2, or look for legacy proxies upstreamHAProxy, header points to AWS/CDN → run the full payload matrix- No Server header → assume hardened, but run a single quick
space-before-colonprobe; if it doesn't 400, dig deeper
H2.CL / H2.TE (the modern dominant vector)
H2-downgrade smuggling attacks rely on the front-end speaking HTTP/2 to the client and HTTP/1.1 to origin. The downgrade introduces CL/TE confusion because HTTP/2's frame-length headers don't survive the conversion cleanly. Most CDN+origin chains in 2024-2026 use this exact topology.
Tools that send HTTP/2 raw frames (Burp Pro's HTTP Request Smuggler extension, h2csmuggler, smuggler.py) are the right starting point against CDN-fronted targets. Avoid HTTP/1.1-only test clients (curl, raw sockets) against H2-front-ended targets — you'll send the wrong protocol entirely.
Mass credential harvesting — the "collector gadget"
…
FAQ
What is 'HTTP request smuggling'?
It's a type of attack where an attacker sends malicious requests that confuse the web server, causing it to interpret a single request as two separate ones. This can lead to unauthorized access or data theft.
Why do I need authorization to use this tool?
Using this tool on systems without explicit permission is illegal. It's intended only for authorized security testing and educational purposes to ensure systems are protected.
What are the risks of a 'smuggling' attack?
Risks include stealing other users' credentials, accessing administrative areas, cache poisoning (causing users to see malicious content), and bypassing firewalls or access controls.
Details
Original description by the author
Hunt HTTP request smuggling (CL.TE, TE.CL, H2.CL, H2.TE).
Popularity
- GitHub stars
- 48k
- Ranking position
- #3264
- License
- MIT
- Updated
- 10/15/2026
Comments
- …
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