CVE-2020-13482: Em http request Improper Certificate Validation Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-q27f-v3r6-9v77
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CVSS 7.4
CWE-295
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2020-13482 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.4) improper certificate validation vulnerability (CWE-295: Improper Certificate Validation) affecting Em http request libraries in the RubyGems ecosystem. The issue involves improper certificate validation in em-http-request. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.1.6.

CVE-2020-13482 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2020-13482
GHSA Identifier GHSA-q27f-v3r6-9v77
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.4
CWE Classification CWE-295: Improper Certificate Validation
Affected Product Em http request
Package Ecosystem RubyGems
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.4

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

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity High (AC:H)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2020-13482

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

em-http-request fixed: 1.1.6 
Upgrade em-http-request to 1.1.6
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 em-http-request

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2020-13482, inspect your project dependencies for Em http request:

inspect dependencies for em-http-request

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Em http request in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 1.1.6), 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-295: Improper Certificate Validation, where the product does not validate, or incorrectly validates, a certificate. In Em http request, 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

EM-HTTP-Request 1.1.5 uses the library eventmachine in an insecure way that allows an attacker to perform a man-in-the-middle attack against users of the library. The hostname in a TLS server certificate is not verified.

CVE-2020-13482 Affected Em http request Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.1.6
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
em-http-request
gem/em-http-request
RubyGems
< 1.1.6
1.1.6

References

NVD — CVE-2020-13482 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-13482
Em http request Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/igrigorik/em-http-request/issues/339
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/igrigorik/em-http-request/commit/e5fa144f8d21050dd1fc15a4dc8aa34ac6f30602
GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-q27f-v3r6-9v77
Em http request Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/igrigorik/em-http-request
Em http request Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/rubysec/ruby-advisory-db/blob/master/gems/em-http-request/CVE-2020-13482.yml
lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/packa... WEB
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/MKYP5TR5NTVVDX5R4HCNNH2OQR7M4X3J
lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/packa... WEB
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/Z32PUJA6RGBZ3TKSOTGUXZ45662S3MVF
GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://securitylab.github.com/advisories/GHSL-2020-094-igrigorik-em-http-request

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-13482?
CVE-2020-13482 is a security vulnerability in Em http request involving Improper Certificate Validation in EM-HTTP-Request under CWE-295: Improper Certificate Validation.
Which Em http request versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.1.6 across affected packages: em-http-request.
What version fixes CVE-2020-13482?
Upgrading to 1.1.6 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is em-http-request affected?
Yes, em-http-request is affected in releases prior to 1.1.6. Upgrade your dependency to 1.1.6 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-13482?
CVE-2020-13482 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.4 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2020-13482?
CVE-2020-13482 is classified under CWE-295: Improper Certificate Validation (The product does not validate, or incorrectly validates, a certificate.).
How can I check RubyGems dependencies for CVE-2020-13482?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for em-http-request'. 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-q27f-v3r6-9v77",
  "modified" : "2023-08-08T16:34:06Z",
  "published" : "2021-05-24T18:13:13Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2020-13482" ],
  "summary" : "Improper Certificate Validation in EM-HTTP-Request",
  "details" : "EM-HTTP-Request 1.1.5 uses the library eventmachine in an insecure way that allows an attacker to perform a man-in-the-middle attack against users of the library. The hostname in a TLS server certificate is not verified.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "RubyGems",
      "name" : "em-http-request"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.1.6"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 1.1.5"
    }
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-13482"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/igrigorik/em-http-request/issues/339"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/igrigorik/em-http-request/commit/e5fa144f8d21050dd1fc15a4dc8aa34ac6f30602"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-q27f-v3r6-9v77"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/igrigorik/em-http-request"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/rubysec/ruby-advisory-db/blob/master/gems/em-http-request/CVE-2020-13482.yml"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/MKYP5TR5NTVVDX5R4HCNNH2OQR7M4X3J"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/Z32PUJA6RGBZ3TKSOTGUXZ45662S3MVF"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://securitylab.github.com/advisories/GHSL-2020-094-igrigorik-em-http-request"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-295" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2021-05-14T18:46:59Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2020-05-25T22:15:00Z"
  }
}