CVE-2013-1856: Activesupport Activesupport Improper Input Validation Vulnerability Vulnerability

Q: What is CVE-2013-1856?

CVE-2013-1856 is a security vulnerability in Activesupport involving activesupport Improper Input Validation vulnerability under CWE-20: Improper Input Validation.

Q: Which Activesupport versions are affected?

Affected versions include releases prior to 3.1.12, 3.2.13 across affected packages: activesupport.

Q: What version fixes CVE-2013-1856?

Upgrading to 3.1.12, 3.2.13 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.

Q: Is activesupport affected?

Yes, activesupport is affected in releases prior to 3.1.12, 3.2.13. Upgrade your dependency to 3.1.12, 3.2.13 or later.

Q: What CWE is associated with CVE-2013-1856?

CVE-2013-1856 is classified under CWE-20: Improper Input Validation (The product receives input or data, but it does not validate or incorrectly validates that the input has the properties that are required to process the data safely and correctly.).

Q: How can I check RubyGems dependencies for CVE-2013-1856?

Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for activesupport'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.

MODERATE

Advisory Identifier: GHSA-9c2j-593q-3g82

CWE-20

Published 2017-10-24

Advisory Summary

CVE-2013-1856 is a MODERATE activesupport improper input validation vulnerability vulnerability (CWE-20: Improper Input Validation) affecting Activesupport libraries in the RubyGems ecosystem. The issue involves activesupport improper input validation vulnerability. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 3.1.12, 3.2.13.

CVE-2013-1856 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2013-1856

GHSA Identifier GHSA-9c2j-593q-3g82

Severity MODERATE

CVSS v3.1 Base Score N/A

CWE Classification CWE-20: Improper Input Validation

Affected Product Activesupport

Package Ecosystem RubyGems

Published Date 2017-10-24

Last Updated 2023-06-01

How to Fix CVE-2013-1856

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

activesupport fixed: 3.1.12

Upgrade activesupport to 3.1.12

activesupport fixed: 3.2.13

Upgrade activesupport to 3.2.13

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 activesupport

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2013-1856, inspect your project dependencies for Activesupport:

inspect dependencies for activesupport

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Activesupport in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 3.1.12), 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-20: Improper Input Validation, where the product receives input or data, but it does not validate or incorrectly validates that the input has the properties that are required to process the data safely and correctly. In Activesupport, 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 `ActiveSupport::XmlMini_JDOM` backend in `lib/active_support/xml_mini/jdom.rb` in the Active Support component in Ruby on Rails 3.0.x and 3.1.x before 3.1.12 and 3.2.x before 3.2.13, when JRuby is used, does not properly restrict the capabilities of the XML parser, which allows remote attackers to read arbitrary files or cause a denial of service (resource consumption) via vectors involving (1) an external DTD or (2) an external entity declaration in conjunction with an entity reference.

CVE-2013-1856 Affected Activesupport Versions

2 component(s)

Fixed Versions:

3.1.123.2.13

Product / Package	Ecosystem	Affected Versions	Fixed Version
activesupport gem/activesupport	RubyGems	≥ 3.0.0 < 3.1.12	3.1.12
activesupport gem/activesupport	RubyGems	≥ 3.2.0 < 3.2.13	3.2.13

References

NVD — CVE-2013-1856 NVD

https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2013-1856

Activesupport Source Repository REPOSITORY

https://github.com/rails/rails

Activesupport Source Repository REPOSITORY

https://github.com/rubysec/ruby-advisory-db/blob/master/gems/activesupport/CVE-2013-1856.yml

Activesupport Security Information SECURITY

https://groups.google.com/group/rubyonrails-security/msg/6c2482d4ed1545e6?dmode=source&output=gplain

Activesupport Security Information SECURITY

https://web.archive.org/web/20130609174600/http://lists.apple.com/archives/security-announce/2013/Jun/msg00000.html

Activesupport Security Information SECURITY

https://web.archive.org/web/20131109010518/http://lists.apple.com/archives/security-announce/2013/Oct/msg00006.html

Activesupport Security Information SECURITY

http://lists.apple.com/archives/security-announce/2013/Jun/msg00000.html

Activesupport Security Information SECURITY

http://lists.apple.com/archives/security-announce/2013/Oct/msg00006.html

support.apple.com/kb/ht5784 WEB

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5784

weblog.rubyonrails.org/2013/3/18/sec-ann-r... WEB

http://weblog.rubyonrails.org/2013/3/18/SEC-ANN-Rails-3-2-13-3-1-12-and-2-3-18-have-been-released

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2013-1856?

CVE-2013-1856 is a security vulnerability in Activesupport involving activesupport Improper Input Validation vulnerability under CWE-20: Improper Input Validation.

Which Activesupport versions are affected?

Affected versions include releases prior to 3.1.12, 3.2.13 across affected packages: activesupport.

What version fixes CVE-2013-1856?

Upgrading to 3.1.12, 3.2.13 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.

Is activesupport affected?

Yes, activesupport is affected in releases prior to 3.1.12, 3.2.13. Upgrade your dependency to 3.1.12, 3.2.13 or later.

What CWE is associated with CVE-2013-1856?

CVE-2013-1856 is classified under CWE-20: Improper Input Validation (The product receives input or data, but it does not validate or incorrectly validates that the input has the properties that are required to process the data safely and correctly.).

How can I check RubyGems dependencies for CVE-2013-1856?

Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for activesupport'. 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-9c2j-593q-3g82",
  "modified" : "2023-06-01T19:51:36Z",
  "published" : "2017-10-24T18:33:37Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2013-1856" ],
  "summary" : "activesupport Improper Input Validation vulnerability",
  "details" : "The `ActiveSupport::XmlMini_JDOM` backend in `lib/active_support/xml_mini/jdom.rb` in the Active Support component in Ruby on Rails 3.0.x and 3.1.x before 3.1.12 and 3.2.x before 3.2.13, when JRuby is used, does not properly restrict the capabilities of the XML parser, which allows remote attackers to read arbitrary files or cause a denial of service (resource consumption) via vectors involving (1) an external DTD or (2) an external entity declaration in conjunction with an entity reference.",
  "severity" : [ ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "RubyGems",
      "name" : "activesupport"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "3.0.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.1.12"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "RubyGems",
      "name" : "activesupport"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
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      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "3.2.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.2.13"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2013-1856"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/rails/rails"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/rubysec/ruby-advisory-db/blob/master/gems/activesupport/CVE-2013-1856.yml"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://groups.google.com/group/rubyonrails-security/msg/6c2482d4ed1545e6?dmode=source&output=gplain"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://web.archive.org/web/20130609174600/http://lists.apple.com/archives/security-announce/2013/Jun/msg00000.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://web.archive.org/web/20131109010518/http://lists.apple.com/archives/security-announce/2013/Oct/msg00006.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://lists.apple.com/archives/security-announce/2013/Jun/msg00000.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://lists.apple.com/archives/security-announce/2013/Oct/msg00006.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5784"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://weblog.rubyonrails.org/2013/3/18/SEC-ANN-Rails-3-2-13-3-1-12-and-2-3-18-have-been-released"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-20" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2020-06-16T21:28:09Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2013-03-19T22:55:01Z"
  }
}

Advisory Metadata

Source ID: GHSA-9c2j-593q-3g82
Schema Version: 1.4.0
Published: 2017-10-24 18:33
Last Modified: 2023-06-01 19:51
Database Record File: advisories/github-reviewed/2017/10/GHSA-9c2j-593q-3g82/GHSA-9c2j-593q-3g82.json