CVE-2017-12098: Rails admin Cross-Site Scripting Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-pxr8-w3jq-rcwj
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CVSS 6.1
CWE-79
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2017-12098 is a MODERATE (CVSS 6.1) cross-site scripting vulnerability (CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')) affecting Rails admin libraries in the RubyGems ecosystem. The issue involves rails_admin ruby gem xss. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.3.0.

CVE-2017-12098 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2017-12098
GHSA Identifier GHSA-pxr8-w3jq-rcwj
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 6.1
CWE Classification CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')
Affected Product Rails admin
Package Ecosystem RubyGems
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 6.1

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction Required (UI:R)
Scope Changed (S:C)
Confidentiality Low (C:L)
Integrity Low (I:L)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2017-12098

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Rails admin dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

rails_admin fixed: 1.3.0 
Upgrade rails_admin to 1.3.0
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

inspect dependencies for rails_admin

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2017-12098, inspect your project dependencies for Rails admin:

inspect dependencies for rails_admin

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Rails admin in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 1.3.0), your application is affected.

Note: Verify declared build manifests and deployed runtime container environments.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting'), where the product does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes user-controllable input before it is placed in output that is used as a web page that is served to other users. In Rails admin, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

An exploitable cross site scripting (XSS) vulnerability exists in the add filter functionality of the rails_admin rails gem version 1.2.0. A specially crafted URL can cause an XSS flaw resulting in an attacker being able to execute arbitrary javascript on the victim's browser. An attacker can phish an authenticated user to trigger this vulnerability.

CVE-2017-12098 Affected Rails admin Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.3.0
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
rails_admin
gem/rails_admin
RubyGems
< 1.3.0
1.3.0

References

NVD — CVE-2017-12098 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2017-12098
GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-pxr8-w3jq-rcwj
Rails admin Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/railsadminteam/rails_admin
Rails admin Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/rubysec/ruby-advisory-db/blob/master/gems/rails_admin/CVE-2017-12098.yml
Rails admin Security Information SECURITY
https://web.archive.org/web/20210116160904/http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/102486
www.talosintelligence.com/vulnerability_repor... WEB
https://www.talosintelligence.com/vulnerability_reports/TALOS-2017-0450

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2017-12098?
CVE-2017-12098 is a security vulnerability in Rails admin involving rails_admin ruby gem XSS under CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting').
Which Rails admin versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.3.0 across affected packages: rails_admin.
What version fixes CVE-2017-12098?
Upgrading to 1.3.0 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is rails_admin affected?
Yes, rails_admin is affected in releases prior to 1.3.0. Upgrade your dependency to 1.3.0 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2017-12098?
CVE-2017-12098 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.1 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2017-12098?
CVE-2017-12098 is classified under CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') (The product does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes user-controllable input before it is placed in output that is used as a web page that is served to other users.).
How can I check RubyGems dependencies for CVE-2017-12098?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for rails_admin'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-pxr8-w3jq-rcwj",
  "modified" : "2023-07-03T21:59:02Z",
  "published" : "2018-03-05T19:37:23Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2017-12098" ],
  "summary" : "rails_admin ruby gem XSS",
  "details" : "An exploitable cross site scripting (XSS) vulnerability exists in the add filter functionality of the rails_admin rails gem version 1.2.0. A specially crafted URL can cause an XSS flaw resulting in an attacker being able to execute arbitrary javascript on the victim's browser. An attacker can phish an authenticated user to trigger this vulnerability.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "RubyGems",
      "name" : "rails_admin"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.3.0"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2017-12098"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-pxr8-w3jq-rcwj"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/railsadminteam/rails_admin"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/rubysec/ruby-advisory-db/blob/master/gems/rails_admin/CVE-2017-12098.yml"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://web.archive.org/web/20210116160904/http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/102486"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.talosintelligence.com/vulnerability_reports/TALOS-2017-0450"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-79" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2020-06-16T21:50:19Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2018-01-19T19:29:00Z"
  }
}