diff --git a/lib/_http_client.js b/lib/_http_client.js
index 1358a441c15f90..c14e899dabbf04 100644
--- a/lib/_http_client.js
+++ b/lib/_http_client.js
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ const {
   Error,
   NumberIsFinite,
   ObjectAssign,
+  ObjectDefineProperty,
   ObjectKeys,
   ObjectSetPrototypeOf,
   ReflectApply,
@@ -116,6 +117,7 @@ let debug = require('internal/util/debuglog').debuglog('http', (fn) => {
 
 const INVALID_PATH_REGEX = /[^\u0021-\u00ff]/;
 const kError = Symbol('kError');
+const kPath = Symbol('kPath');
 
 const kLenientAll = HTTPParser.kLenientAll | 0;
 const kLenientNone = HTTPParser.kLenientNone | 0;
@@ -303,7 +305,7 @@ function ClientRequest(input, options, cb) {
 
   this.joinDuplicateHeaders = options.joinDuplicateHeaders;
 
-  this.path = options.path || '/';
+  this[kPath] = options.path || '/';
   if (cb) {
     this.once('response', cb);
   }
@@ -446,6 +448,22 @@ function ClientRequest(input, options, cb) {
 ObjectSetPrototypeOf(ClientRequest.prototype, OutgoingMessage.prototype);
 ObjectSetPrototypeOf(ClientRequest, OutgoingMessage);
 
+ObjectDefineProperty(ClientRequest.prototype, 'path', {
+  __proto__: null,
+  get() {
+    return this[kPath];
+  },
+  set(value) {
+    const path = String(value);
+    if (INVALID_PATH_REGEX.test(path)) {
+      throw new ERR_UNESCAPED_CHARACTERS('Request path');
+    }
+    this[kPath] = path;
+  },
+  configurable: true,
+  enumerable: true,
+});
+
 ClientRequest.prototype._finish = function _finish() {
   OutgoingMessage.prototype._finish.call(this);
   if (hasObserver('http')) {
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-http-client-path-toctou.js b/test/parallel/test-http-client-path-toctou.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..2975ba363d2614
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/parallel/test-http-client-path-toctou.js
@@ -0,0 +1,68 @@
+'use strict';
+require('../common');
+const assert = require('assert');
+const http = require('http');
+
+// Test that mutating req.path after construction to include
+// invalid characters (e.g. CRLF) throws ERR_UNESCAPED_CHARACTERS.
+// Regression test for a TOCTOU vulnerability where path was only
+// validated at construction time but could be mutated before
+// _implicitHeader() flushed it to the socket.
+
+// Use a createConnection that returns nothing to avoid actual connection.
+const req = new http.ClientRequest({
+  host: '127.0.0.1',
+  port: 1,
+  path: '/valid',
+  method: 'GET',
+  createConnection: () => {},
+});
+
+// Attempting to set path with CRLF must throw
+assert.throws(
+  () => { req.path = '/evil\r\nX-Injected: true\r\n\r\n'; },
+  {
+    code: 'ERR_UNESCAPED_CHARACTERS',
+    name: 'TypeError',
+    message: 'Request path contains unescaped characters',
+  }
+);
+
+// Path must be unchanged after failed mutation
+assert.strictEqual(req.path, '/valid');
+
+// Attempting to set path with lone CR must throw
+assert.throws(
+  () => { req.path = '/evil\rpath'; },
+  {
+    code: 'ERR_UNESCAPED_CHARACTERS',
+    name: 'TypeError',
+  }
+);
+
+// Attempting to set path with lone LF must throw
+assert.throws(
+  () => { req.path = '/evil\npath'; },
+  {
+    code: 'ERR_UNESCAPED_CHARACTERS',
+    name: 'TypeError',
+  }
+);
+
+// Attempting to set path with null byte must throw
+assert.throws(
+  () => { req.path = '/evil\0path'; },
+  {
+    code: 'ERR_UNESCAPED_CHARACTERS',
+    name: 'TypeError',
+  }
+);
+
+// Valid path mutation should succeed
+req.path = '/also-valid';
+assert.strictEqual(req.path, '/also-valid');
+
+req.path = '/path?query=1&other=2';
+assert.strictEqual(req.path, '/path?query=1&other=2');
+
+req.destroy();