CVE-2016-10193: Espeak ruby Espeak-ruby Allows Arbitrary Command Execution Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-4jm3-pfpf-h54p
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CVSS 9.8
CWE-284
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2016-10193 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8) espeak-ruby allows arbitrary command execution vulnerability (CWE-284: Improper Access Control) affecting Espeak ruby libraries in the RubyGems ecosystem. The issue involves espeak-ruby allows arbitrary command execution. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.0.3.

CVE-2016-10193 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2016-10193
GHSA Identifier GHSA-4jm3-pfpf-h54p
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.8
CWE Classification CWE-284: Improper Access Control
Affected Product Espeak ruby
Package Ecosystem RubyGems
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 9.8

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

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

How to Fix CVE-2016-10193

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

espeak-ruby fixed: 1.0.3 
Upgrade espeak-ruby to 1.0.3
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 espeak-ruby

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2016-10193, inspect your project dependencies for Espeak ruby:

inspect dependencies for espeak-ruby

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Espeak ruby in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 1.0.3), 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-284: Improper Access Control, where the product does not restrict or incorrectly restricts access to a resource from an unauthorized actor. In Espeak ruby, 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 espeak-ruby gem before 1.0.3 for Ruby allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands via shell metacharacters in a string to the `speak`, `save`, `bytes` or `bytes_wav` method in `lib/espeak/speech.rb`.

CVE-2016-10193 Affected Espeak ruby Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.0.3
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
espeak-ruby
gem/espeak-ruby
RubyGems
< 1.0.3
1.0.3

References

NVD — CVE-2016-10193 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-10193
Espeak ruby Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/dejan/espeak-ruby/issues/7
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/dejan/espeak-ruby/commit/5251744b13bdd9fb0c72c612226e72d330bac143
Espeak ruby Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/dejan/espeak-ruby
Espeak ruby Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/rubysec/ruby-advisory-db/blob/master/gems/espeak-ruby/CVE-2016-10193.yml
Espeak ruby Security Information SECURITY
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2017/01/31/14
Espeak ruby Security Information SECURITY
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2017/02/02/5

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2016-10193?
CVE-2016-10193 is a security vulnerability in Espeak ruby involving espeak-ruby allows arbitrary command execution under CWE-284: Improper Access Control.
Which Espeak ruby versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.0.3 across affected packages: espeak-ruby.
What version fixes CVE-2016-10193?
Upgrading to 1.0.3 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is espeak-ruby affected?
Yes, espeak-ruby is affected in releases prior to 1.0.3. Upgrade your dependency to 1.0.3 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2016-10193?
CVE-2016-10193 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2016-10193?
CVE-2016-10193 is classified under CWE-284: Improper Access Control (The product does not restrict or incorrectly restricts access to a resource from an unauthorized actor.).
How can I check RubyGems dependencies for CVE-2016-10193?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for espeak-ruby'. 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-4jm3-pfpf-h54p",
  "modified" : "2023-01-25T22:57:24Z",
  "published" : "2017-10-24T18:33:35Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2016-10193" ],
  "summary" : "espeak-ruby allows arbitrary command execution",
  "details" : "The espeak-ruby gem before 1.0.3 for Ruby allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands via shell metacharacters in a string to the `speak`, `save`, `bytes` or `bytes_wav` method in `lib/espeak/speech.rb`.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "RubyGems",
      "name" : "espeak-ruby"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.0.3"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-10193"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/dejan/espeak-ruby/issues/7"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/dejan/espeak-ruby/commit/5251744b13bdd9fb0c72c612226e72d330bac143"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/dejan/espeak-ruby"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/rubysec/ruby-advisory-db/blob/master/gems/espeak-ruby/CVE-2016-10193.yml"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2017/01/31/14"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2017/02/02/5"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-284" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2020-06-16T20:58:29Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}