README.md

@@ -198,9 +198,11 @@ path under `/v1/` answers 200, in maintenance mode too.
   redirects to, is `localhost`, ends in `.localhost` or `.local`, or has an
   address in a blocked network (see `blocked_networks`); 429 over
   `image_requests_per_minute` (below); 415 when the upstream answers with a
-  `Content-Type` that is not one of the source formats (below), or with an image
-  whose first bytes libvips reads as another format; 502 when the upstream
-  answered with an error status, and for 5 minutes after that for the same
+  `Content-Type` that is not one of the source formats (below), with a body
+  whose first bytes are not those of the format its `Content-Type` names, or
+  with an image whose first bytes libvips reads as another format; 502 when the
+  upstream answered with an error status, and for 5 minutes after that, or after
+  a body whose first bytes are not those of its `Content-Type`, for the same
   source URL; 503 when pixa is busy or in maintenance mode; 500 for any other
   failure.
 - `GET` or `HEAD` `/v1/e/<token>/<name>` — an image through an encrypted URL
@@ -279,8 +281,12 @@ above 8192.
 The source image may be JPEG, PNG, GIF, WebP, AVIF or JPEG XL. The upstream's
 `Content-Type` must name its format, and the image's first bytes must match it.
 An upstream answering with any other `Content-Type`, SVG included, is refused
-with 415, and so is an image whose first bytes libvips reads as another format,
-such as an SVG whose first bytes pass the check for AVIF.
+with 415. So is a body whose first bytes are not those of the format its
+`Content-Type` names, such as a JPEG sent as `image/png`, text sent as an image,
+or an empty body. pixa then does not fetch that source URL again for 5 minutes,
+and answers 502 for it meanwhile, as after an upstream error status. An image
+whose first bytes libvips reads as another format, such as an SVG whose first
+bytes pass the check for AVIF, is refused with 415 too.
 
 With the format `auto`, pixa chooses the format for each request from its
 `Accept` header, in this order:

TODO.md

@@ -30,6 +30,15 @@ P2: security: per-origin rate limiting
 
 # Completed Steps
 
+- 2026-10-15 a source whose first bytes do not match its `Content-Type` answers
+  415 (closes #253): a body whose first bytes are not those of the format its
+  `Content-Type` names, such as a JPEG sent as `image/png`, text, or a body
+  under 12 bytes, answered 500 on both image routes and was logged as an error
+  of pixa's, and each request for it fetched the whole body again. Both routes
+  now answer 415, and the image service logs it at warning level as a refused
+  source. It also gets a negative cache entry, as an upstream error status does,
+  so the source URL is not fetched again for 5 minutes and answers 502
+  meanwhile.
 - 2026-10-15 a `:` in the source path or query no longer moves where the path
   ends and the query begins (closes #247): the signed data and the cache key
   joined host, path and query with `:` and no escaping, so a URL signed for

internal/handlers/image.go

@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ import (
 	"sneak.berlin/go/pixa/internal/httpfetcher"
 	"sneak.berlin/go/pixa/internal/imageprocessor"
 	"sneak.berlin/go/pixa/internal/imgcache"
+	"sneak.berlin/go/pixa/internal/magic"
 )
 
 // HandleImage handles the main image proxy route:
@@ -220,6 +221,18 @@ func (s *Handlers) HandleTooManyRequests() http.HandlerFunc {
 func (s *Handlers) respondImageError(
 	w http.ResponseWriter, req *imgcache.ImageRequest, err error,
 ) {
+	// An upstream body whose first bytes are not those of the format its
+	// Content-Type names is the upstream's error, not pixa's: the image
+	// service has logged it as a refused source.
+	if errors.Is(err, magic.ErrMagicByteMismatch) ||
+		errors.Is(err, magic.ErrUnknownFormat) ||
+		errors.Is(err, magic.ErrNotEnoughData) {
+		s.respondError(w, "unsupported source format",
+			http.StatusUnsupportedMediaType)
+
+		return
+	}
+
 	s.log.Error("failed to get image",
 		"host", req.SourceHost,
 		"path", req.SourcePath,

internal/handlers/imageenc.go

@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ import (
 	"sneak.berlin/go/pixa/internal/httpfetcher"
 	"sneak.berlin/go/pixa/internal/imageprocessor"
 	"sneak.berlin/go/pixa/internal/imgcache"
+	"sneak.berlin/go/pixa/internal/magic"
 )
 
 // HandleImageEnc handles requests to /v1/e/{token}/* for encrypted
@@ -162,7 +163,10 @@ func (s *Handlers) handleImageError(w http.ResponseWriter, err error) {
 		s.respondError(w, "server busy, try again later",
 			http.StatusServiceUnavailable)
 	case errors.Is(err, httpfetcher.ErrInvalidContentType),
-		errors.Is(err, imageprocessor.ErrUnsupportedInputFormat):
+		errors.Is(err, imageprocessor.ErrUnsupportedInputFormat),
+		errors.Is(err, magic.ErrMagicByteMismatch),
+		errors.Is(err, magic.ErrUnknownFormat),
+		errors.Is(err, magic.ErrNotEnoughData):
 		s.respondError(w, "unsupported source format",
 			http.StatusUnsupportedMediaType)
 	case errors.Is(err, imageprocessor.ErrOutputTooLarge):

internal/imgcache/service.go

@@ -438,13 +438,7 @@ func (s *Service) fetchAndProcess(
 	if err != nil {
 		// Store negative cache for certain errors
 		if isNegativeCacheable(err) {
-			statusCode := extractStatusCode(err)
-
-			storeErr := s.cache.StoreNegative(ctx, req, statusCode, err.Error())
-			if storeErr != nil {
-				s.log.Warn("failed to store negative cache entry",
-					"host", req.SourceHost, "path", req.SourcePath, "error", storeErr)
-			}
+			s.storeNegative(ctx, req, extractStatusCode(err), err)
 		}
 
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("upstream fetch failed: %w", err)
@@ -490,9 +484,16 @@ func (s *Service) fetchAndProcess(
 		"cipher", fetchResult.TLSCipherSuite,
 	)
 
-	// Validate magic bytes match content type
+	// Validate magic bytes match content type. A body that does not is the
+	// upstream's error, so it gets a negative cache entry, as an upstream
+	// error status does.
 	err = magic.ValidateMagicBytes(sourceData, fetchResult.ContentType)
 	if err != nil {
+		s.log.Warn("source refused", "request_id", middleware.GetReqID(ctx),
+			"host", req.SourceHost, "path", req.SourcePath,
+			"content_type", fetchResult.ContentType, "error", err)
+		s.storeNegative(ctx, req, httpStatusUnsupportedMediaType, err)
+
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("content validation failed: %w", err)
 	}
 
@@ -508,6 +509,19 @@ func (s *Service) fetchAndProcess(
 	)
 }
 
+// storeNegative stores a negative cache entry for req's source, whose fetch
+// failed with err, so the source is not fetched again until the entry
+// expires. A failure to store the entry is only logged.
+func (s *Service) storeNegative(
+	ctx context.Context, req *ImageRequest, statusCode int, err error,
+) {
+	storeErr := s.cache.StoreNegative(ctx, req, statusCode, err.Error())
+	if storeErr != nil {
+		s.log.Warn("failed to store negative cache entry",
+			"host", req.SourceHost, "path", req.SourcePath, "error", storeErr)
+	}
+}
+
 // processedVariant is a variant as processAndStore made it. Each request that
 // shared its processing serves it through a reader of its own.
 type processedVariant struct {
@@ -616,8 +630,9 @@ func signatureRequest(req *ImageRequest) *signature.Request {
 
 // HTTP status codes for error responses.
 const (
-	httpStatusBadGateway    = 502
-	httpStatusInternalError = 500
+	httpStatusBadGateway           = 502
+	httpStatusInternalError        = 500
+	httpStatusUnsupportedMediaType = 415
 )
 
 // isNegativeCacheable returns true if the error should be cached.