CVE-2011-5036: Rack Denial of Service Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-v6j3-7jrw-hq2p
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CWE-400 CWE-328
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2011-5036 is a MODERATE denial of service vulnerability (CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption) affecting Rack libraries in the RubyGems ecosystem. The issue involves rack gem subject to denial of service via hash collisions. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.1.3, 1.2.5, 1.3.6, 1.6.5.1.

CVE-2011-5036 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2011-5036
GHSA Identifier GHSA-v6j3-7jrw-hq2p
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score N/A
CWE Classification CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption
Affected Product Rack
Package Ecosystem RubyGems
Published Date
Last Updated

How to Fix CVE-2011-5036

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

rack fixed: 1.1.3 
Upgrade rack to 1.1.3
rack fixed: 1.2.5 
Upgrade rack to 1.2.5
rack fixed: 1.3.6 
Upgrade rack to 1.3.6
org.jruby:jruby-parent fixed: 1.6.5.1 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.jruby</groupId>
    <artifactId>jruby-parent</artifactId>
    <version>1.6.5.1</version>
</dependency>
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 rack

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2011-5036, inspect your project dependencies for Rack:

inspect dependencies for rack

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Rack in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 1.1.3), 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-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption, where the product does not properly control the allocation and maintenance of a limited resource. In Rack, 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

Rack before 1.1.3, 1.2.x before 1.2.5, and 1.3.x before 1.3.6 computes hash values for form parameters without restricting the ability to trigger hash collisions predictably, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (CPU consumption) by sending many crafted parameters.

CVE-2011-5036 Affected Rack Versions

4 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.1.31.2.51.3.61.6.5.1
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
rack
gem/rack
RubyGems
< 1.1.3
1.1.3
rack
gem/rack
RubyGems
≥ 1.2.0
< 1.2.5
1.2.5
rack
gem/rack
RubyGems
≥ 1.3.0
< 1.3.6
1.3.6
org.jruby:jruby-parent
maven/org.jruby/jruby-parent
Maven
< 1.6.5.1
1.6.5.1

References

NVD — CVE-2011-5036 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2011-5036
Rack Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://gist.github.com/52bbc6b9cc19ce330829
Rack Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/rubysec/ruby-advisory-db/blob/master/gems/rack/CVE-2011-5036.yml
web.archive.org/web/20120201040317/... WEB
https://web.archive.org/web/20120201040317/http://jruby.org/2011/12/27/jruby-1-6-5-1
web.archive.org/web/20130213132312/... WEB
https://web.archive.org/web/20130213132312/http://archives.neohapsis.com/archives/bugtraq/2011-12/0181.html
Rack Security Information SECURITY
http://www.debian.org/security/2013/dsa-2783
www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/903934 WEB
http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/903934
www.nruns.com/_downloads/advisory... WEB
http://www.nruns.com/_downloads/advisory28122011.pdf
www.ocert.org/advisories/ocert-20... WEB
http://www.ocert.org/advisories/ocert-2011-003.html

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2011-5036?
CVE-2011-5036 is a security vulnerability in Rack involving Rack Gem Subject to Denial of Service via Hash Collisions under CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption.
Which Rack versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.1.3, 1.2.5, 1.3.6, 1.6.5.1 across affected packages: rack, org.jruby:jruby-parent.
What version fixes CVE-2011-5036?
Upgrading to 1.1.3, 1.2.5, 1.3.6, 1.6.5.1 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is rack affected?
Yes, rack is affected in releases prior to 1.1.3, 1.2.5, 1.3.6. Upgrade your dependency to 1.1.3, 1.2.5, 1.3.6 or later.
Is jruby-parent affected?
Yes, org.jruby:jruby-parent is affected in releases prior to 1.6.5.1. Upgrade your dependency to 1.6.5.1 or later.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2011-5036?
CVE-2011-5036 is classified under CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption (The product does not properly control the allocation and maintenance of a limited resource.).
How can I check RubyGems dependencies for CVE-2011-5036?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for rack'. 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-v6j3-7jrw-hq2p",
  "modified" : "2023-08-25T23:09:49Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-17T04:59:13Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2011-5036" ],
  "summary" : "Rack Gem Subject to Denial of Service via Hash Collisions",
  "details" : "Rack before 1.1.3, 1.2.x before 1.2.5, and 1.3.x before 1.3.6 computes hash values for form parameters without restricting the ability to trigger hash collisions predictably, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (CPU consumption) by sending many crafted parameters.",
  "severity" : [ ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "RubyGems",
      "name" : "rack"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.1.3"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "RubyGems",
      "name" : "rack"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "1.2.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.2.5"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "RubyGems",
      "name" : "rack"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "1.3.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.3.6"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.jruby:jruby-parent"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.6.5.1"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2011-5036"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://gist.github.com/52bbc6b9cc19ce330829"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/rubysec/ruby-advisory-db/blob/master/gems/rack/CVE-2011-5036.yml"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://web.archive.org/web/20120201040317/http://jruby.org/2011/12/27/jruby-1-6-5-1"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://web.archive.org/web/20130213132312/http://archives.neohapsis.com/archives/bugtraq/2011-12/0181.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.debian.org/security/2013/dsa-2783"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/903934"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.nruns.com/_downloads/advisory28122011.pdf"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.ocert.org/advisories/ocert-2011-003.html"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-328", "CWE-400" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-03-27T16:12:55Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2011-12-30T01:55:00Z"
  }
}