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Rubygems CVE-2022-29176

HIGH
Missing Authorization (CWE-862)
2022-05-05 security-advisories@github.com
7.5
CVSS 3.1 · NVD
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Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A01:2025 - Broken Access Control
ASVS 5.0
V8 - Authorization Authorization checks on every request
MITRE ATT&CK

1 technique across 1 tactic: Privilege Escalation

The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up.

Impact

CVSS score of 7.5 (HIGH). Attack characteristics: network attack vector, high complexity, low privileges required, no user interaction not required.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

A remote attacker could access resources or perform actions without proper authorization checks by sending crafted requests to the affected application.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).
No patch listed yet 1.8% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAI

Rubygems is a package registry used to supply software for the Ruby language ecosystem. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable. No vendor patch available.

RemediationAI

No vendor patch is available at time of analysis. Monitor vendor advisories for updates. Implement role-based access control, validate authorization on every request server-side, apply principle of least privilege.

Affects your stack

Find out whether the stacks and servers you run are on an affected version.

Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.

Technical ContextAI · show details

This vulnerability is classified as Missing Authorization (CWE-862), which allows attackers to access resources or perform actions without proper authorization checks. Rubygems is a package registry used to supply software for the Ruby language ecosystem. Due to a bug in the yank action, it was possible for any RubyGems.org user to remove and replace certain gems even if that user was not authorized to do so. To be vulnerable, a gem needed: one or more dashes in its name creation within 30 days OR no updates for over 100 days At present, we believe this vulnerability has not been exploited. RubyGems.org sends an email to all gem owners when a gem version is published or yanked. We have not received any support emails from gem owners indicating that their gem has been yanked without authorization. An audit of gem changes for the last 18 months did not find any examples of this vulnerability being used in a malicious way. A deeper audit for any possible use of this exploit is ongoing, and we will update this advisory once it is complete. Using Bundler in --frozen or --deployment mode in CI and during deploys, as the Bundler team has always recommended, will guarantee that your application does not silently switch to versions created using this exploit. To audit your application history for possible past exploits, review your Gemfile.lock and look for gems whose platform changed when the version number did not change. For example, gemname-3.1.2 updating to gemname-3.1.2-java could indicate a possible abuse of this vulnerability. RubyGems.org has been patched and is no longer vulnerable to this issue as of the 5th of May 2022. Affected products include: Rubygems Rubygems.Org.

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  • Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

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Severity by source

NVD PRIMARY 7.5 HIGH
AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Primary rating from NVD · only source for this CVE.

CVSS VectorNVD

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
High
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

DescriptionNVD

Rubygems is a package registry used to supply software for the Ruby language ecosystem. Due to a bug in the yank action, it was possible for any RubyGems.org user to remove and replace certain gems even if that user was not authorized to do so. To be vulnerable, a gem needed: one or more dashes in its name creation within 30 days OR no updates for over 100 days At present, we believe this vulnerability has not been exploited. RubyGems.org sends an email to all gem owners when a gem version is published or yanked. We have not received any support emails from gem owners indicating that their gem has been yanked without authorization. An audit of gem changes for the last 18 months did not find any examples of this vulnerability being used in a malicious way. A deeper audit for any possible use of this exploit is ongoing, and we will update this advisory once it is complete. Using Bundler in --frozen or --deployment mode in CI and during deploys, as the Bundler team has always recommended, will guarantee that your application does not silently switch to versions created using this exploit. To audit your application history for possible past exploits, review your Gemfile.lock and look for gems whose platform changed when the version number did not change. For example, gemname-3.1.2 updating to gemname-3.1.2-java could indicate a possible abuse of this vulnerability. RubyGems.org has been patched and is no longer vulnerable to this issue as of the 5th of May 2022.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
1.8%
Top 23% exploitable
Data Quality
3 sources
Confidence: Low

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue
Severity HIGH
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 1.8%
Patch available No
Active threat No
Deciding rule
HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision· derived
Scheduled
Exploitation· derived
None
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable· derived
No
Human Impact· derived
Medium

Priority Score

40
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: +2
CVSS: +38
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Authentication bypass attacks exploit flaws in the verification mechanisms that control access to systems and applications.

Affected Products (CPE)NVD

cpe:2.3:a:rubygems:rubygems.org:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
CVE-2017-0899 CRITICAL POC
9.8 Aug 31

RubyGems version 2.6.12 and earlier is vulnerable to maliciously crafted gem specifications that include terminal escape

CVE-2017-0901 HIGH POC
7.5 Aug 31

RubyGems version 2.6.12 and earlier fails to validate specification names, allowing a maliciously crafted gem to potenti

CVE-2017-0900 HIGH POC
7.5 Aug 31

RubyGems version 2.6.12 and earlier is vulnerable to maliciously crafted gem specifications to cause a denial of service

CVE-2017-0902 HIGH POC
8.1 Aug 31

RubyGems version 2.6.12 and earlier is vulnerable to a DNS hijacking vulnerability that allows a MITM attacker to force

CVE-2012-2140 HIGH POC
7.5 Jul 18

The Mail gem before 2.4.3 for Ruby allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands via shell metacharacters in a (

CVE-2013-2615 HIGH POC
7.5 Mar 20

lib/entry_controller.rb in the fastreader Gem 1.0.8 for Ruby allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands via s

CVE-2022-29218 HIGH POC
7.5 May 13

RubyGems is a package registry used to supply software for the Ruby language ecosystem. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5),

CVE-2019-8320 HIGH POC
7.4 Jun 06

A Directory Traversal issue was discovered in RubyGems 2.7.6 and later through 3.0.2. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.4), th

CVE-2017-0903 CRITICAL
9.8 Oct 11

RubyGems versions between 2.0.0 and 2.6.13 are vulnerable to a possible remote code execution vulnerability. Rated criti

CVE-2013-0269 HIGH
7.5 Feb 13

The JSON gem before 1.5.5, 1.6.x before 1.6.8, and 1.7.x before 1.7.7 for Ruby allows remote attackers to cause a denial

CVE-2018-1000076 CRITICAL
9.8 Mar 13

RubyGems version Ruby 2.2 series: 2.2.9 and earlier, Ruby 2.3 series: 2.3.6 and earlier, Ruby 2.4 series: 2.4.3 and earl

CVE-2012-2139 MEDIUM POC
5.0 Jul 18

Directory traversal vulnerability in lib/mail/network/delivery_methods/file_delivery.rb in the Mail gem before 2.4.4 for

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