CVE-2017-0902: Rubygems update RubyGems Has Origin Validation Error Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-73w7-6w9g-gc8w
CVSS 8.1
CWE-350 CWE-346
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2017-0902 is a HIGH (CVSS 8.1) rubygems has origin validation error vulnerability (CWE-350: Reliance on Reverse DNS Resolution for a Security-Critical Action) affecting Rubygems update libraries in the RubyGems ecosystem. The issue involves rubygems has origin validation error vulnerability. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.6.13.

CVE-2017-0902 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2017-0902
GHSA Identifier GHSA-73w7-6w9g-gc8w
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 8.1
CWE Classification CWE-350: Reliance on Reverse DNS Resolution for a Security-Critical Action
Affected Product Rubygems update
Package Ecosystem RubyGems
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 8.1

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

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity High (AC:H)
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-2017-0902

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

rubygems-update fixed: 2.6.13
Upgrade rubygems-update to 2.6.13
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 rubygems-update

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2017-0902, inspect your project dependencies for Rubygems update:

inspect dependencies for rubygems-update

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Rubygems update in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 2.6.13), 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-350: Reliance on Reverse DNS Resolution for a Security-Critical Action, where the product performs reverse dns resolution on an ip address to obtain the hostname and make a security decision, but it does not properly ensure that the ip address is truly associated with the hostname. In Rubygems update, 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

RubyGems version 2.6.12 and earlier is vulnerable to a DNS hijacking vulnerability that allows a MITM attacker to force the RubyGems client to download and install gems from a server that the attacker controls.

CVE-2017-0902 Affected Rubygems update Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.6.13
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
rubygems-update
RubyGems
< 2.6.13
2.6.13

References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2017-0902?
CVE-2017-0902 is a security vulnerability in Rubygems update involving RubyGems has Origin Validation Error vulnerability under CWE-350: Reliance on Reverse DNS Resolution for a Security-Critical Action.
Which Rubygems update versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.6.13 across affected packages: rubygems-update.
What version fixes CVE-2017-0902?
Upgrading to 2.6.13 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is rubygems-update affected?
Yes, rubygems-update is affected in releases prior to 2.6.13. Upgrade your dependency to 2.6.13 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2017-0902?
CVE-2017-0902 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.1 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2017-0902?
CVE-2017-0902 is classified under CWE-350: Reliance on Reverse DNS Resolution for a Security-Critical Action (The product performs reverse DNS resolution on an IP address to obtain the hostname and make a security decision, but it does not properly ensure that the IP address is truly associated with the hostname.).
How can I check RubyGems dependencies for CVE-2017-0902?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for rubygems-update'. 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
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-73w7-6w9g-gc8w",
  "modified" : "2023-03-09T00:36:26Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-13T01:38:25Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2017-0902" ],
  "summary" : "RubyGems has Origin Validation Error vulnerability",
  "details" : "RubyGems version 2.6.12 and earlier is vulnerable to a DNS hijacking vulnerability that allows a MITM attacker to force the RubyGems client to download and install gems from a server that the attacker controls.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "RubyGems",
      "name" : "rubygems-update"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.6.13"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2017-0902"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/rubygems/rubygems/commit/8d91516fb7037ecfb27622f605dc40245e0f8d32"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://hackerone.com/reports/218088"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2017:3485"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:0378"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:0583"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:0585"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/rubygems/rubygems"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2018/07/msg00012.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201710-01"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://usn.ubuntu.com/3553-1"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://usn.ubuntu.com/3685-1"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://web.archive.org/web/20170907040741/http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/100586"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://web.archive.org/web/20170907215801/http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1039249"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.debian.org/security/2017/dsa-3966"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://blog.rubygems.org/2017/08/27/2.6.13-released.html"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-346", "CWE-350" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-03-09T00:36:26Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2017-08-31T20:29:00Z"
  }
}