CVE-2016-6316: Actionview Cross-Site Scripting Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-pc3m-v286-2jwj
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CVSS 6.1
CWE-79
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2016-6316 is a MODERATE (CVSS 6.1) cross-site scripting vulnerability (CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')) affecting Actionview libraries in the RubyGems ecosystem. The issue involves actionview cross-site scripting vulnerability. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 3.2.22.3, 4.2.7.1, 5.0.0.1.

CVE-2016-6316 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2016-6316
GHSA Identifier GHSA-pc3m-v286-2jwj
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 6.1
CWE Classification CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')
Affected Product Actionview
Package Ecosystem RubyGems
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 6.1

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:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N).

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

How to Fix CVE-2016-6316

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

actionview fixed: 3.2.22.3 
Upgrade actionview to 3.2.22.3
actionview fixed: 4.2.7.1 
Upgrade actionview to 4.2.7.1
actionview fixed: 5.0.0.1 
Upgrade actionview to 5.0.0.1
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 actionview

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2016-6316, inspect your project dependencies for Actionview:

inspect dependencies for actionview

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Actionview in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 3.2.22.3), 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-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 Actionview, 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

Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Action View in Ruby on Rails 3.x before 3.2.22.3, 4.x before 4.2.7.1, and 5.x before 5.0.0.1 might allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via text declared as "HTML safe" and used as attribute values in tag handlers.

CVE-2016-6316 Affected Actionview Versions

3 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
3.2.22.34.2.7.15.0.0.1
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
actionview
gem/actionview
RubyGems
≥ 3.0.0
< 3.2.22.3
3.2.22.3
actionview
gem/actionview
RubyGems
≥ 4.0.0
< 4.2.7.1
4.2.7.1
actionview
gem/actionview
RubyGems
≥ 5.0.0
< 5.0.0.1
All 1 versions
5.0.0
5.0.0.1

References

rhn.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2016-18... WEB
http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2016-1858.html
weblog.rubyonrails.org/2016/8/11/rails-5-0... WEB
http://weblog.rubyonrails.org/2016/8/11/Rails-5-0-0-1-4-2-7-2-and-3-2-22-3-have-been-released
Actionview Security Information SECURITY
http://www.debian.org/security/2016/dsa-3651
Actionview Security Information SECURITY
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/08/11/3
NVD — CVE-2016-6316 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-6316
Actionview Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/rubysec/ruby-advisory-db/blob/master/gems/actionpack/CVE-2016-6316.yml
groups.google.com/forum/ WEB
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/ruby-security-ann/8B2iV2tPRSE
groups.google.com/forum/ WEB
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/rubyonrails-security/I-VWr034ouk
Actionview Security Information SECURITY
https://web.archive.org/web/20200227202008/http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/92430
Actionview Security Information SECURITY
https://web.archive.org/web/20200812154343/https://puppet.com/security/cve/cve-2016-6316
rhn.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2016-18... WEB
http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2016-1855.html
rhn.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2016-18... WEB
http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2016-1856.html
rhn.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2016-18... WEB
http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2016-1857.html

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2016-6316?
CVE-2016-6316 is a security vulnerability in Actionview involving actionview Cross-site Scripting vulnerability under CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting').
Which Actionview versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 3.2.22.3, 4.2.7.1, 5.0.0.1 across affected packages: actionview.
What version fixes CVE-2016-6316?
Upgrading to 3.2.22.3, 4.2.7.1, 5.0.0.1 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is actionview affected?
Yes, actionview is affected in releases prior to 3.2.22.3, 4.2.7.1, 5.0.0.1. Upgrade your dependency to 3.2.22.3, 4.2.7.1, 5.0.0.1 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2016-6316?
CVE-2016-6316 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.1 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2016-6316?
CVE-2016-6316 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-2016-6316?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for actionview'. 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-pc3m-v286-2jwj",
  "modified" : "2023-01-23T17:59:42Z",
  "published" : "2017-10-24T18:33:35Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2016-6316" ],
  "summary" : "actionview Cross-site Scripting vulnerability",
  "details" : "Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Action View in Ruby on Rails 3.x before 3.2.22.3, 4.x before 4.2.7.1, and 5.x before 5.0.0.1 might allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via text declared as \"HTML safe\" and used as attribute values in tag handlers.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
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    },
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    "database_specific" : {
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    "ranges" : [ {
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      } ]
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    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 4.2.7"
    }
  }, {
    "package" : {
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      "name" : "actionview"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
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      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "5.0.0"
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      } ]
    } ],
    "versions" : [ "5.0.0" ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-6316"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/rubysec/ruby-advisory-db/blob/master/gems/actionpack/CVE-2016-6316.yml"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/ruby-security-ann/8B2iV2tPRSE"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/rubyonrails-security/I-VWr034ouk"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://web.archive.org/web/20200227202008/http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/92430"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://web.archive.org/web/20200812154343/https://puppet.com/security/cve/cve-2016-6316"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2016-1855.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2016-1856.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2016-1857.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2016-1858.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://weblog.rubyonrails.org/2016/8/11/Rails-5-0-0-1-4-2-7-2-and-3-2-22-3-have-been-released"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.debian.org/security/2016/dsa-3651"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/08/11/3"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-79" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2020-06-16T21:48:48Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2016-09-07T19:28:10Z"
  }
}