CVE-2009-2422: Rails Rails Vulnerable To Improper Authentication Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-rxq3-gm4p-5fj4
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CVSS 9.8
CWE-287
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2009-2422 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8) rails vulnerable to improper authentication vulnerability (CWE-287: Improper Authentication) affecting Rails libraries in the RubyGems ecosystem. The issue involves rails vulnerable to improper authentication. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.3.3.

CVE-2009-2422 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2009-2422
GHSA Identifier GHSA-rxq3-gm4p-5fj4
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.8
CWE Classification CWE-287: Improper Authentication
Affected Product Rails
Package Ecosystem RubyGems
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 9.8

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:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

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

How to Fix CVE-2009-2422

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Rails 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 fixed: 2.3.3 
Upgrade rails to 2.3.3
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

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2009-2422, inspect your project dependencies for Rails:

inspect dependencies for rails

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Rails in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 2.3.3), 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-287: Improper Authentication, where when an actor claims to have a given identity, the product does not prove or insufficiently proves that the claim is correct. In Rails, 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

The example code for the digest authentication functionality (http_authentication.rb) in Ruby on Rails before 2.3.3 defines an authenticate_or_request_with_http_digest block that returns nil instead of false when the user does not exist, which allows context-dependent attackers to bypass authentication for applications that are derived from this example by sending an invalid username without a password.

CVE-2009-2422 Affected Rails Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.3.3
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
rails
gem/rails
RubyGems
< 2.3.3
2.3.3

References

NVD — CVE-2009-2422 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2009-2422
exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/515... WEB
https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/51528
Rails Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/rubysec/ruby-advisory-db/blob/master/gems/rails/CVE-2009-2422.yml
web.archive.org/web/20090711160153/... WEB
https://web.archive.org/web/20090711160153/http://secunia.com/advisories/35702
Rails Security Information SECURITY
https://web.archive.org/web/20200229192617/http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/35579
Rails Security Information SECURITY
http://lists.apple.com/archives/security-announce/2010//Mar/msg00001.html
Rails Security Information SECURITY
http://n8.tumblr.com/post/117477059/security-hole-found-in-rails-2-3s
support.apple.com/kb/ht4077 WEB
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4077
Rails Security Information SECURITY
http://weblog.rubyonrails.org/2009/6/3/security-problem-with-authenticate_with_http_digest

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2009-2422?
CVE-2009-2422 is a security vulnerability in Rails involving rails vulnerable to improper authentication under CWE-287: Improper Authentication.
Which Rails versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.3.3 across affected packages: rails.
What version fixes CVE-2009-2422?
Upgrading to 2.3.3 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is rails affected?
Yes, rails is affected in releases prior to 2.3.3. Upgrade your dependency to 2.3.3 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2009-2422?
CVE-2009-2422 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2009-2422?
CVE-2009-2422 is classified under CWE-287: Improper Authentication (When an actor claims to have a given identity, the product does not prove or insufficiently proves that the claim is correct.).
How can I check RubyGems dependencies for CVE-2009-2422?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for rails'. 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-rxq3-gm4p-5fj4",
  "modified" : "2024-02-14T21:33:07Z",
  "published" : "2017-10-24T18:33:38Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2009-2422" ],
  "summary" : "rails vulnerable to improper authentication",
  "details" : "The example code for the digest authentication functionality (http_authentication.rb) in Ruby on Rails before 2.3.3 defines an authenticate_or_request_with_http_digest block that returns nil instead of false when the user does not exist, which allows context-dependent attackers to bypass authentication for applications that are derived from this example by sending an invalid username without a password.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "RubyGems",
      "name" : "rails"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.3.3"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2009-2422"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/51528"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/rubysec/ruby-advisory-db/blob/master/gems/rails/CVE-2009-2422.yml"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://web.archive.org/web/20090711160153/http://secunia.com/advisories/35702"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://web.archive.org/web/20200229192617/http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/35579"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://lists.apple.com/archives/security-announce/2010//Mar/msg00001.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://n8.tumblr.com/post/117477059/security-hole-found-in-rails-2-3s"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4077"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://weblog.rubyonrails.org/2009/6/3/security-problem-with-authenticate_with_http_digest"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-287" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2020-06-16T21:56:22Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2009-07-10T15:30:00Z"
  }
}