Chainguard Academy (edu) Nginx directory redirect downgrades HTTPS requests to HTTP
Published
What is affected, what to do
Use of the backend-facing $scheme variable in the trailing-slash directory redirect in nginx.conf of Chainguard Academy (edu) from commit 0b75ff98057f69b044a3e7194e428066ac5ad0d4 before commit 93dc0e50739c225f5aee2e803800a47fc0feb906 allows an on-path network attacker to read or modify documentation content served to a victim via an HTTPS request for a slashless directory path, because TLS terminates at the load balancer in front of Nginx and the resulting 301 response redirects the client to a plaintext http:// URL. Browsers that ship the HSTS preload list are not affected, because the .dev top-level domain is preloaded; clients that do not enforce HSTS, such as command-line HTTP clients and scripts that follow redirects, are affected.
The available sources name no fixed version. Check the vendor guidance in the references below.
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CVSS v3
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Priority (0–325)
The priority score is a consolidated metric that condenses several individual signals into a single, action-guiding ranking: technical severity (CVSS), exploitation likelihood (EPSS), known-exploited status (KEV) and the context of the affected asset. The aim is to answer the only truly important question in vulnerability management: what first?
Read in glossary- 30.00 Methodology
Exploit maturity
An exploit is code or a technique that specifically uses a concrete vulnerability to force unintended behaviour — such as executing code or escalating privileges. It is the tool that turns a theoretical flaw into a practical attack.
Read in glossary- no public PoC known
KEV status
The KEV catalogue is a list maintained by the US authority CISA of vulnerabilities for which active exploitation in the wild has been confirmed. It answers not the question „how severe?“ but „is it already being attacked?“ — thereby sharply prioritising patching.
Read in glossary- —
- Published
Classification under NIS2 and CRA
Rule-based classification from exploitation status and severity. It does not replace a case-by-case assessment.
NIS2
NIS2 is EU Directive (EU) 2022/2555 to raise the level of cybersecurity across the Union. It substantially broadens obligations compared with the first NIS directive: more sectors, mandatory risk management, staged reporting duties and personal accountability of senior management.
Read in glossary- Handle the vulnerability in regular vulnerability handling under Art. 21(2)(e) NIS2.
CRA
The CRA is EU Regulation (EU) 2024/2847 setting horizontal cybersecurity requirements for „products with digital elements“ — from industrial controllers and software to connected consumer devices. For the first time manufacturers must ensure security across the entire product lifecycle, handle vulnerabilities and provide security updates.
Read in glossary- From 11.12.2027, Annex I Part II CRA requires manufacturers of affected products with digital elements to handle vulnerabilities without delay and provide security updates.
ISO/IEC 27001
ISO/IEC 27001 is the internationally leading standard for an information security management system (ISMS). It describes a risk-based, process-oriented framework to systematically plan, implement, review and improve information security.
Read in glossary- Control A.8.8, management of technical vulnerabilities: assess relevance to your systems, plan remediation and keep evidence.
Description
Use of the backend-facing $scheme variable in the trailing-slash directory redirect in nginx.conf of Chainguard Academy (edu) from commit 0b75ff98057f69b044a3e7194e428066ac5ad0d4 before commit 93dc0e50739c225f5aee2e803800a47fc0feb906 allows an on-path network attacker to read or modify documentation content served to a victim via an HTTPS request for a slashless directory path, because TLS terminates at the load balancer in front of Nginx and the resulting 301 response redirects the client to a plaintext http:// URL. Browsers that ship the HSTS preload list are not affected, because the .dev top-level domain is preloaded; clients that do not enforce HSTS, such as command-line HTTP clients and scripts that follow redirects, are affected.