CVE-2019-13354: Strong password Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-5h5r-ffc4-c455
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CVSS 9.8
CWE-94
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2019-13354 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8) remote code execution vulnerability (CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection')) affecting Strong password libraries in the RubyGems ecosystem. The issue involves strong_password ruby gem malicious version causing remote code execution vulnerability. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 0.0.8.

CVE-2019-13354 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2019-13354
GHSA Identifier GHSA-5h5r-ffc4-c455
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.8
CWE Classification CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection')
Affected Product Strong password
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-2019-13354

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

strong_password fixed: 0.0.8 
Upgrade strong_password to 0.0.8
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 strong_password

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2019-13354, inspect your project dependencies for Strong password:

inspect dependencies for strong_password

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Strong password in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 0.0.8), 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-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection'), where the product constructs all or part of a code segment using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the syntax or behavior of the intended code segment. In Strong password, 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 strong_password gem 0.0.7 for Ruby, as distributed on RubyGems.org, included a code-execution backdoor inserted by a third party. Version 0.0.8 does not contain the backdoor.

CVE-2019-13354 Affected Strong password Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
0.0.8
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
strong_password
gem/strong_password
RubyGems
≥ 0.0.7
< 0.0.8
All 1 versions
0.0.7
0.0.8

References

NVD — CVE-2019-13354 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-13354
benjamin-bouchet.com/blog/vulnerabilite-... WEB
https://benjamin-bouchet.com/blog/vulnerabilite-dans-la-gem-strong_password-0-0-7
Strong password Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/bdmac/strong_password
Strong password Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/bdmac/strong_password/releases
Strong password Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/rubysec/ruby-advisory-db/blob/master/gems/strong_password/CVE-2019-13354.yml
rubygems.org/gems/strong_passwor... WEB
https://rubygems.org/gems/strong_password/versions
withatwist.dev/strong-password-rub... WEB
https://withatwist.dev/strong-password-rubygem-hijacked.html

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2019-13354?
CVE-2019-13354 is a security vulnerability in Strong password involving strong_password Ruby gem malicious version causing Remote Code Execution vulnerability under CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection').
Which Strong password versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 0.0.8 across affected packages: strong_password.
What version fixes CVE-2019-13354?
Upgrading to 0.0.8 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is strong_password affected?
Yes, strong_password is affected in releases prior to 0.0.8. Upgrade your dependency to 0.0.8 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2019-13354?
CVE-2019-13354 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-2019-13354?
CVE-2019-13354 is classified under CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection') (The product constructs all or part of a code segment using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the syntax or behavior of the intended code segment.).
How can I check RubyGems dependencies for CVE-2019-13354?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for strong_password'. 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-5h5r-ffc4-c455",
  "modified" : "2023-03-06T22:51:34Z",
  "published" : "2019-07-08T20:32:35Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2019-13354" ],
  "summary" : "strong_password Ruby gem malicious version causing Remote Code Execution vulnerability",
  "details" : "The strong_password gem 0.0.7 for Ruby, as distributed on RubyGems.org, included a code-execution backdoor inserted by a third party. Version 0.0.8 does not contain the backdoor.",
  "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" : "strong_password"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0.0.7"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "0.0.8"
      } ]
    } ],
    "versions" : [ "0.0.7" ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-13354"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://benjamin-bouchet.com/blog/vulnerabilite-dans-la-gem-strong_password-0-0-7"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/bdmac/strong_password"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/bdmac/strong_password/releases"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/rubysec/ruby-advisory-db/blob/master/gems/strong_password/CVE-2019-13354.yml"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://rubygems.org/gems/strong_password/versions"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://withatwist.dev/strong-password-rubygem-hijacked.html"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-94" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2019-07-08T20:32:08Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2019-07-08T14:15:10Z"
  }
}