# hekto open redirect vulnerability

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/hekto-open-redirect-vulnerability-8f794a81  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2020-08-27. Updated: 2026-09-25  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

Severity: info · Published 2020-08-27

hekto is a Node.js utility library used for URL processing and HTML file serving. An open redirect vulnerability allows an attacker to craft a malicious URL that, when a user clicks it, redirects them to an arbitrary external domain. This can be exploited for phishing attacks or credential harvesting by making the redirect appear to come from a trusted application.

Technologies: [hekto (npm)](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/hekto). Vendors: [npm](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/npm).

## Quick answers

**Is This vulnerability exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of This vulnerability being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is This vulnerability?** Informational severity, published 27 August 2020.

**Which products and versions are affected?** hekto (npm) SEMVER:introduced=0,fixed=0.2.4.

**Is there a fix for This vulnerability?** Yes. hekto (npm): upgrade to 0.2.4 or later. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

**How is This vulnerability attacked?** It is attacked over the network, in a software library.

**Am I affected?** Check whether you run hekto (npm) at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

## How to fix

- hekto (npm): upgrade to 0.2.4 or later

  ```sh
  npm install hekto@0.2.4
  ```


## Technical details

The vulnerability is an open redirect flaw in hekto that occurs when a target domain name is used as an HTML filename on the server. The library fails to properly validate redirect destinations, allowing attackers to inject arbitrary URLs. An attacker can craft a specially formed URL that causes hekto to redirect users to malicious external sites. The vulnerability affects all versions prior to 0.2.4, which contains the fix. No authentication or special preconditions are required to exploit this vulnerability.

## Affected products

- herber hekto before 0.2.4

## Timeline

- 2020-08-27: disclosed
- 2018-04-12: patched: Fix merged in PR #3

## References

- [https://github.com/herber/hekto/pull/3](https://github.com/herber/hekto/pull/3)
- [https://github.com/herber/hekto/commit/1e5c75f8259ba0daf9b2600db3c246cda1934c46](https://github.com/herber/hekto/commit/1e5c75f8259ba0daf9b2600db3c246cda1934c46)

## Related threats

- [hekto path traversal vulnerability](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2018-3725-hekto-path-traversal-vulnerability)
- [hekto open redirect in filename handling](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2018-3743-hekto-open-redirect-in-filename-handling)