CVE-2020-16253: Pghero PgHero Gem Allows CSRF Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-v6fx-752r-ccp2
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CVSS 8.1
CWE-352
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2020-16253 is a HIGH (CVSS 8.1) pghero gem allows csrf vulnerability (CWE-352: Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF)) affecting Pghero libraries in the RubyGems ecosystem. The issue involves pghero gem allows csrf. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.7.0.

CVE-2020-16253 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2020-16253
GHSA Identifier GHSA-v6fx-752r-ccp2
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 8.1
CWE Classification CWE-352: Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF)
Affected Product Pghero
Package Ecosystem RubyGems
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 8.1

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

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

How to Fix CVE-2020-16253

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

pghero fixed: 2.7.0 
Upgrade pghero to 2.7.0
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 pghero

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2020-16253, inspect your project dependencies for Pghero:

inspect dependencies for pghero

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Pghero in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 2.7.0), 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-352: Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF), where the web application does not, or cannot, sufficiently verify whether a request was intentionally provided by the user who sent the request, which could have originated from an unauthorized actor. In Pghero, 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 PgHero gem through 2.6.0 for Ruby allows CSRF. PgHero normally uses the `protect_from_forgery` method from Rails to prevent CSRF. However, this defaults to `:null_session`, which has no effect on non-session based authentication methods. Thus the ruby gem is vulnerable with non-session based authentication methods like basic authentication.

CVE-2020-16253 Affected Pghero Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.7.0
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
pghero
gem/pghero
RubyGems
< 2.7.0
2.7.0

References

NVD — CVE-2020-16253 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-16253
Pghero Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/ankane/pghero/issues/330
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/ankane/pghero/commit/14b67b32fed19a30aaf9826ee72f2a29cda604e9
Pghero Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/ankane/pghero
Pghero Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/rubysec/ruby-advisory-db/blob/master/gems/pghero/CVE-2020-16253.yml

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-16253?
CVE-2020-16253 is a security vulnerability in Pghero involving PgHero gem allows CSRF under CWE-352: Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF).
Which Pghero versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.7.0 across affected packages: pghero.
What version fixes CVE-2020-16253?
Upgrading to 2.7.0 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is pghero affected?
Yes, pghero is affected in releases prior to 2.7.0. Upgrade your dependency to 2.7.0 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-16253?
CVE-2020-16253 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.1 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2020-16253?
CVE-2020-16253 is classified under CWE-352: Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) (The web application does not, or cannot, sufficiently verify whether a request was intentionally provided by the user who sent the request, which could have originated from an unauthorized actor.).
How can I check RubyGems dependencies for CVE-2020-16253?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for pghero'. 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-v6fx-752r-ccp2",
  "modified" : "2023-08-25T22:21:14Z",
  "published" : "2020-08-05T14:53:43Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2020-16253" ],
  "summary" : "PgHero gem allows CSRF",
  "details" : "The PgHero gem through 2.6.0 for Ruby allows CSRF. PgHero normally uses the `protect_from_forgery` method from Rails to prevent CSRF. However, this defaults to `:null_session`, which has no effect on non-session based authentication methods. Thus the ruby gem is vulnerable with non-session based authentication methods like basic authentication.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "RubyGems",
      "name" : "pghero"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.7.0"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-16253"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ankane/pghero/issues/330"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ankane/pghero/commit/14b67b32fed19a30aaf9826ee72f2a29cda604e9"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ankane/pghero"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/rubysec/ruby-advisory-db/blob/master/gems/pghero/CVE-2020-16253.yml"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-352" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2020-08-05T14:51:45Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}