CVE-2022-28481: Csv safe CSV-Safe Improperly Filters Special Characters Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-f55g-x8qq-2569
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CVSS 9.8
CWE-1236
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2022-28481 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8) csv-safe improperly filters special characters vulnerability (CWE-1236: Improper Neutralization of Formula Elements in a CSV File) affecting Csv safe libraries in the RubyGems ecosystem. The issue involves csv-safe improperly filters special characters potentially leading to csv injection. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 3.0.0.

CVE-2022-28481 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2022-28481
GHSA Identifier GHSA-f55g-x8qq-2569
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.8
CWE Classification CWE-1236: Improper Neutralization of Formula Elements in a CSV File
Affected Product Csv safe
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:3.1/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-2022-28481

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

csv-safe fixed: 3.0.0 
Upgrade csv-safe to 3.0.0
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 csv-safe

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2022-28481, inspect your project dependencies for Csv safe:

inspect dependencies for csv-safe

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Csv safe in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 3.0.0), 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-1236: Improper Neutralization of Formula Elements in a CSV File, where the product saves user-provided information into a comma-separated value (csv) file, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could be interpreted as a command when the file is opened by a spreadsheet product. In Csv safe, 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

CSV-Safe gem < 3.0.0 doesn't filter out special characters which could trigger CSV Injection.

CVE-2022-28481 Affected Csv safe Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
3.0.0
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
csv-safe
gem/csv-safe
RubyGems
< 3.0.0
3.0.0

References

NVD — CVE-2022-28481 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-28481
Csv safe Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/zvory/csv-safe/issues/7
Csv safe Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/zvory/csv-safe/pull/8
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/WeblateOrg/weblate/commit/d9e136ff228e3760fd6dd7572869ac38e9a81809
hackerone.com/reports/223999 WEB
https://hackerone.com/reports/223999
Csv safe Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/rubysec/ruby-advisory-db/blob/master/gems/csv-safe/CVE-2022-28481.yml
Csv safe Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/zvory/csv-safe

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2022-28481?
CVE-2022-28481 is a security vulnerability in Csv safe involving CSV-Safe improperly filters special characters potentially leading to CSV injection under CWE-1236: Improper Neutralization of Formula Elements in a CSV File.
Which Csv safe versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 3.0.0 across affected packages: csv-safe.
What version fixes CVE-2022-28481?
Upgrading to 3.0.0 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is csv-safe affected?
Yes, csv-safe is affected in releases prior to 3.0.0. Upgrade your dependency to 3.0.0 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2022-28481?
CVE-2022-28481 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2022-28481?
CVE-2022-28481 is classified under CWE-1236: Improper Neutralization of Formula Elements in a CSV File (The product saves user-provided information into a Comma-Separated Value (CSV) file, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could be interpreted as a command when the file is opened by a spreadsheet product.).
How can I check RubyGems dependencies for CVE-2022-28481?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for csv-safe'. 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-f55g-x8qq-2569",
  "modified" : "2022-05-18T19:19:58Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-03T00:00:46Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2022-28481" ],
  "summary" : "CSV-Safe improperly filters special characters potentially leading to CSV injection",
  "details" : "CSV-Safe gem < 3.0.0 doesn't filter out special characters which could trigger CSV Injection.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "RubyGems",
      "name" : "csv-safe"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.0.0"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-28481"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/zvory/csv-safe/issues/7"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/zvory/csv-safe/pull/8"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/WeblateOrg/weblate/commit/d9e136ff228e3760fd6dd7572869ac38e9a81809"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://hackerone.com/reports/223999"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/rubysec/ruby-advisory-db/blob/master/gems/csv-safe/CVE-2022-28481.yml"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/zvory/csv-safe"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-1236" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2022-05-18T19:19:58Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2022-05-01T15:15:00Z"
  }
}