CVE-2022-36231: Pdf info Code Injection Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-9fh3-j99m-f4v7
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CVSS 9.8
CWE-78 CWE-94
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2022-36231 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8) code injection vulnerability (CWE-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection')) affecting Pdf info libraries in the RubyGems ecosystem. The issue involves code injection in pdf_info. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2022-36231 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2022-36231
GHSA Identifier GHSA-9fh3-j99m-f4v7
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.8
CWE Classification CWE-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection')
Affected Product Pdf info
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-2022-36231

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

pdf_info fixed: Latest secure release 
Upgrade pdf_info to Latest secure release
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 pdf_info

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2022-36231, inspect your project dependencies for Pdf info:

inspect dependencies for pdf_info

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Pdf info in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than the patched release), 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-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection'), where the product constructs all or part of an os command using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended os command when it is sent to a downstream component. In Pdf info, 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

pdf_info 0.5.3 is vulnerable to Command Execution. An attacker using a specially crafted payload may execute OS commands by using command chaining because during object initalization there is no validation performed and the user provided path is used.

CVE-2022-36231 Affected Pdf info Versions

1 component(s)
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
pdf_info
gem/pdf_info
RubyGems
≤ 0.5.3

References

NVD — CVE-2022-36231 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-36231
Pdf info Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/newspaperclub/pdf_info/issues/16
Pdf info Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/newspaperclub/pdf_info/pull/15
Pdf info Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/affix/CVE-2022-36231
Pdf info Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/newspaperclub/pdf_info
Pdf info Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/rubysec/ruby-advisory-db/blob/master/gems/pdf_info/CVE-2022-36231.yml
rubygems.org/gems/pdf_info WEB
https://rubygems.org/gems/pdf_info

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2022-36231?
CVE-2022-36231 is a security vulnerability in Pdf info involving Code injection in pdf_info under CWE-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection').
Which Pdf info versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches across affected packages: pdf_info.
What version fixes CVE-2022-36231?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is pdf_info affected?
Yes, pdf_info is affected in releases prior to Latest secure release. Upgrade your dependency to Latest secure release or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2022-36231?
CVE-2022-36231 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-2022-36231?
CVE-2022-36231 is classified under CWE-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection') (The product constructs all or part of an OS command using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended OS command when it is sent to a downstream component.).
How can I check RubyGems dependencies for CVE-2022-36231?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for pdf_info'. 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-9fh3-j99m-f4v7",
  "modified" : "2025-03-13T21:40:28Z",
  "published" : "2023-02-24T00:30:17Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2022-36231" ],
  "summary" : "Code injection in pdf_info",
  "details" : "pdf_info 0.5.3 is vulnerable to Command Execution. An attacker using a specially crafted payload may execute OS commands by using command chaining because during object initalization there is no validation performed and the user provided path is used.",
  "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" : "pdf_info"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "last_affected" : "0.5.3"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-36231"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/newspaperclub/pdf_info/issues/16"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/newspaperclub/pdf_info/pull/15"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/affix/CVE-2022-36231"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/newspaperclub/pdf_info"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/rubysec/ruby-advisory-db/blob/master/gems/pdf_info/CVE-2022-36231.yml"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://rubygems.org/gems/pdf_info"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-78", "CWE-94" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-02-24T00:33:27Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2023-02-23T22:15:00Z"
  }
}