CVE-2011-2197: Actionpack Cross-Site Scripting Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-v9v4-7jp6-8c73
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CWE-79
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2011-2197 is a MODERATE cross-site scripting vulnerability (CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')) affecting Actionpack libraries in the RubyGems ecosystem. The issue involves rails cross-site scripting vulnerability. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.3.12, 3.0.8.

CVE-2011-2197 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2011-2197
GHSA Identifier GHSA-v9v4-7jp6-8c73
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score N/A
CWE Classification CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')
Affected Product Actionpack
Package Ecosystem RubyGems
Published Date
Last Updated

How to Fix CVE-2011-2197

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

actionpack fixed: 2.3.12 
Upgrade actionpack to 2.3.12
actionpack fixed: 3.0.8 
Upgrade actionpack to 3.0.8
activesupport fixed: 2.3.12 
Upgrade activesupport to 2.3.12
activesupport fixed: 3.0.8 
Upgrade activesupport to 3.0.8
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 actionpack

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2011-2197, inspect your project dependencies for Actionpack:

inspect dependencies for actionpack

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Actionpack in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 2.3.12), 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 Actionpack, 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 cross-site scripting (XSS) prevention feature in Ruby on Rails 2.x before 2.3.12, 3.0.x before 3.0.8, and 3.1.x before 3.1.0.rc2 does not properly handle mutation of safe buffers, which makes it easier for remote attackers to conduct XSS attacks via crafted strings to an application that uses a problematic string method, as demonstrated by the sub method.

CVE-2011-2197 Affected Actionpack Versions

4 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.3.123.0.8
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
actionpack
gem/actionpack
RubyGems
≥ 2.0.0
< 2.3.12
2.3.12
actionpack
gem/actionpack
RubyGems
≥ 3.0.0
< 3.0.8
3.0.8
activesupport
gem/activesupport
RubyGems
≥ 2.0.0
< 2.3.12
2.3.12
activesupport
gem/activesupport
RubyGems
≥ 3.0.0
< 3.0.8
3.0.8

References

NVD — CVE-2011-2197 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2011-2197
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/rails/rails/commit/53a2c0baf2b128dd4808eca313256f6f4bb8c4cd
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/rails/rails/commit/ed3796434af6069ced6a641293cf88eef3b284da
Actionpack Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://gist.github.com/NZKoz/b2ceb626fc2bcdfe497f
Actionpack Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/rails/rails
Actionpack Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/rubysec/ruby-advisory-db/blob/master/gems/activesupport/CVE-2011-2197.yml
Actionpack Security Information SECURITY
http://groups.google.com/group/rubyonrails-security/msg/663b600d4471e0d4?dmode=source&output=gplain
lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-a... WEB
http://lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-announce/2011-July/062514.html
lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-a... WEB
http://lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-announce/2011-June/062090.html
Actionpack Security Information SECURITY
http://openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2011/06/09/2
Actionpack Security Information SECURITY
http://openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2011/06/13/9
weblog.rubyonrails.org/2011/6/8/potential-... WEB
http://weblog.rubyonrails.org/2011/6/8/potential-xss-vulnerability-in-ruby-on-rails-applications

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2011-2197?
CVE-2011-2197 is a security vulnerability in Actionpack involving rails Cross-site Scripting vulnerability under CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting').
Which Actionpack versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.3.12, 3.0.8 across affected packages: actionpack, activesupport.
What version fixes CVE-2011-2197?
Upgrading to 2.3.12, 3.0.8 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is actionpack affected?
Yes, actionpack is affected in releases prior to 2.3.12, 3.0.8. Upgrade your dependency to 2.3.12, 3.0.8 or later.
Is activesupport affected?
Yes, activesupport is affected in releases prior to 2.3.12, 3.0.8. Upgrade your dependency to 2.3.12, 3.0.8 or later.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2011-2197?
CVE-2011-2197 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-2011-2197?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for actionpack'. 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-v9v4-7jp6-8c73",
  "modified" : "2023-04-20T21:47:18Z",
  "published" : "2017-10-24T18:33:38Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2011-2197" ],
  "summary" : "rails Cross-site Scripting vulnerability",
  "details" : "The cross-site scripting (XSS) prevention feature in Ruby on Rails 2.x before 2.3.12, 3.0.x before 3.0.8, and 3.1.x before 3.1.0.rc2 does not properly handle mutation of safe buffers, which makes it easier for remote attackers to conduct XSS attacks via crafted strings to an application that uses a problematic string method, as demonstrated by the sub method.",
  "severity" : [ ],
  "affected" : [ {
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      "name" : "actionpack"
    },
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      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "2.0.0"
      }, {
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      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "< 2.3.11"
    }
  }, {
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    "ranges" : [ {
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    "database_specific" : {
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    "package" : {
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      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "2.0.0"
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    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "< 2.3.11"
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  }, {
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    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "< 3.0.7"
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  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2011-2197"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/rails/rails/commit/53a2c0baf2b128dd4808eca313256f6f4bb8c4cd"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/rails/rails/commit/ed3796434af6069ced6a641293cf88eef3b284da"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://gist.github.com/NZKoz/b2ceb626fc2bcdfe497f"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/rails/rails"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/rubysec/ruby-advisory-db/blob/master/gems/activesupport/CVE-2011-2197.yml"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://groups.google.com/group/rubyonrails-security/msg/663b600d4471e0d4?dmode=source&output=gplain"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-announce/2011-July/062514.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-announce/2011-June/062090.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2011/06/09/2"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2011/06/13/9"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://weblog.rubyonrails.org/2011/6/8/potential-xss-vulnerability-in-ruby-on-rails-applications"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-79" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2020-06-16T21:57:17Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2011-06-30T15:55:01Z"
  }
}