CVE-2013-4389: Actionmailer Denial of Service Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-rg5m-3fqp-6px8
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CWE-134
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2013-4389 is a MODERATE denial of service vulnerability (CWE-134: Use of Externally-Controlled Format String) affecting Actionmailer libraries in the RubyGems ecosystem. The issue involves actionmailer email address processing causes denial of service. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 3.2.15.

CVE-2013-4389 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2013-4389
GHSA Identifier GHSA-rg5m-3fqp-6px8
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score N/A
CWE Classification CWE-134: Use of Externally-Controlled Format String
Affected Product Actionmailer
Package Ecosystem RubyGems
Published Date
Last Updated

How to Fix CVE-2013-4389

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

actionmailer fixed: 3.2.15 
Upgrade actionmailer to 3.2.15
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 actionmailer

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2013-4389, inspect your project dependencies for Actionmailer:

inspect dependencies for actionmailer

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Actionmailer in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 3.2.15), 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-134: Use of Externally-Controlled Format String, where the product uses a function that accepts a format string as an argument, but the format string originates from an external source. In Actionmailer, 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

Multiple format string vulnerabilities in log_subscriber.rb files in the log subscriber component in Action Mailer in Ruby on Rails 3.x before 3.2.15 allow remote attackers to cause a denial of service via a crafted e-mail address that is improperly handled during construction of a log message.

CVE-2013-4389 Affected Actionmailer Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
3.2.15
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
actionmailer
gem/actionmailer
RubyGems
≥ 3.0.0
< 3.2.15
3.2.15

References

NVD — CVE-2013-4389 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2013-4389
GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-rg5m-3fqp-6px8
Actionmailer Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/rails/rails/tree/main/actionmailer
Actionmailer Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/rubysec/ruby-advisory-db/blob/master/gems/actionmailer/CVE-2013-4389.yml
web.archive.org/web/20201208175929/... WEB
https://web.archive.org/web/20201208175929/https://groups.google.com/forum/message/raw?msg=ruby-security-ann/yvlR1Vx44c8/elKJkpO2KVgJ
lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-updates/20... WEB
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-updates/2013-12/msg00091.html
lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-updates/20... WEB
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-updates/2013-12/msg00094.html
lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-updates/20... WEB
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-updates/2014-01/msg00003.html
Actionmailer Security Information SECURITY
http://www.debian.org/security/2014/dsa-2887
Actionmailer Security Information SECURITY
http://www.debian.org/security/2014/dsa-2888

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2013-4389?
CVE-2013-4389 is a security vulnerability in Actionmailer involving actionmailer email address processing causes Denial of service under CWE-134: Use of Externally-Controlled Format String.
Which Actionmailer versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 3.2.15 across affected packages: actionmailer.
What version fixes CVE-2013-4389?
Upgrading to 3.2.15 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is actionmailer affected?
Yes, actionmailer is affected in releases prior to 3.2.15. Upgrade your dependency to 3.2.15 or later.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2013-4389?
CVE-2013-4389 is classified under CWE-134: Use of Externally-Controlled Format String (The product uses a function that accepts a format string as an argument, but the format string originates from an external source.).
How can I check RubyGems dependencies for CVE-2013-4389?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for actionmailer'. 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-rg5m-3fqp-6px8",
  "modified" : "2023-07-04T00:18:31Z",
  "published" : "2017-10-24T18:33:37Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2013-4389" ],
  "summary" : "actionmailer email address processing causes Denial of service",
  "details" : "Multiple format string vulnerabilities in log_subscriber.rb files in the log subscriber component in Action Mailer in Ruby on Rails 3.x before 3.2.15 allow remote attackers to cause a denial of service via a crafted e-mail address that is improperly handled during construction of a log message.",
  "severity" : [ ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "RubyGems",
      "name" : "actionmailer"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "3.0.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.2.15"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2013-4389"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-rg5m-3fqp-6px8"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/rails/rails/tree/main/actionmailer"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/rubysec/ruby-advisory-db/blob/master/gems/actionmailer/CVE-2013-4389.yml"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://web.archive.org/web/20201208175929/https://groups.google.com/forum/message/raw?msg=ruby-security-ann/yvlR1Vx44c8/elKJkpO2KVgJ"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-updates/2013-12/msg00091.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-updates/2013-12/msg00094.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-updates/2014-01/msg00003.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.debian.org/security/2014/dsa-2887"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.debian.org/security/2014/dsa-2888"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-134" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2020-06-16T21:54:42Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2013-10-17T00:55:03Z"
  }
}