CVE-2025-61780: Rack Rack Has A Possible Information Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-r657-rxjc-j557
CVSS 5.8
CWE-441 CWE-913 CWE-200
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2025-61780 is a MODERATE (CVSS 5.8) rack has a possible information vulnerability (CWE-441: Unintended Proxy or Intermediary ('Confused Deputy')) affecting Rack libraries in the RubyGems ecosystem. The issue involves rack has a possible information disclosure vulnerability. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.2.20, 3.1.18, 3.2.3.

CVE-2025-61780 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2025-61780
GHSA Identifier GHSA-r657-rxjc-j557
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 5.8
CWE Classification CWE-441: Unintended Proxy or Intermediary ('Confused Deputy')
Affected Product Rack
Package Ecosystem RubyGems
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 5.8

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

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

How to Fix CVE-2025-61780

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

rack fixed: 2.2.20
Upgrade rack to 2.2.20
rack fixed: 3.1.18
Upgrade rack to 3.1.18
rack fixed: 3.2.3
Upgrade rack to 3.2.3
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 rack

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2025-61780, inspect your project dependencies for Rack:

inspect dependencies for rack

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Rack in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 2.2.20), 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-441: Unintended Proxy or Intermediary ('Confused Deputy'), where the product receives a request, message, or directive from an upstream component, but the product does not sufficiently preserve the original source of the request before forwarding the request to an external actor that is outside of the product's control sphere. this causes the product to appear to be the source of the request, leading it to act as a proxy or other intermediary between the upstream component and the external actor. In Rack, 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

## Summary A possible information disclosure vulnerability existed in `Rack::Sendfile` when running behind a proxy that supports `x-sendfile` headers (such as Nginx). Specially crafted headers could cause `Rack::Sendfile` to miscommunicate with the proxy and trigger unintended internal requests, potentially bypassing proxy-level access restrictions. ## Details When `Rack::Sendfile` received untrusted `x-sendfile-type` or `x-accel-mapping` headers from a client, it would interpret them as proxy configuration directives. This could cause the middleware to send a "redirect" response to the proxy, prompting it to reissue a new internal request that was **not subject to the proxy's access controls**. An attacker could exploit this by: 1. Setting a crafted `x-sendfile-type: x-accel-redirect` header. 2. Setting a crafted `x-accel-mapping` header. 3. Requesting a path that qualifies for proxy-based acceleration. ## Impact Attackers could bypass proxy-enforced restrictions and access internal endpoints intended to be protected (such as administrative pages). The vulnerability did not allow arbitrary file reads but could expose sensitive application routes. This issue only affected systems meeting all of the following conditions: * The application used `Rack::Sendfile` with a proxy that supports `x-accel-redirect` (e.g., Nginx). * The proxy did **not** always set or remove the `x-sendfile-type` and `x-accel-mapping` headers. * The application exposed an endpoint that returned a body responding to `.to_path`. ## Mitigation * Upgrade to a fixed version of Rack which requires explicit configuration to enable `x-accel-redirect`: ```ruby use Rack::Sendfile, "x-accel-redirect" ``` * Alternatively, configure the proxy to always set or strip the headers (you should be doing this!): ```nginx proxy_set_header x-sendfile-type x-accel-redirect; proxy_set_header x-accel-mapping /var/www/=/files/; ``` * Or in Rails applications, disable sendfile completely: ```ruby config.action_dispatch.x_sendfile_header = nil ```

CVE-2025-61780 Affected Rack Versions

3 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.2.203.1.183.2.3
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
rack
RubyGems
< 2.2.20
2.2.20
rack
RubyGems
≥ 3.0
< 3.1.18
3.1.18
rack
RubyGems
≥ 3.2
< 3.2.3
3.2.3

References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2025-61780?
CVE-2025-61780 is a security vulnerability in Rack involving Rack has a Possible Information Disclosure Vulnerability under CWE-441: Unintended Proxy or Intermediary ('Confused Deputy').
Which Rack versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.2.20, 3.1.18, 3.2.3 across affected packages: rack.
What version fixes CVE-2025-61780?
Upgrading to 2.2.20, 3.1.18, 3.2.3 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is rack affected?
Yes, rack is affected in releases prior to 2.2.20, 3.1.18, 3.2.3. Upgrade your dependency to 2.2.20, 3.1.18, 3.2.3 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2025-61780?
CVE-2025-61780 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.8 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:N/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2025-61780?
CVE-2025-61780 is classified under CWE-441: Unintended Proxy or Intermediary ('Confused Deputy') (The product receives a request, message, or directive from an upstream component, but the product does not sufficiently preserve the original source of the request before forwarding the request to an external actor that is outside of the product's control sphere. This causes the product to appear to be the source of the request, leading it to act as a proxy or other intermediary between the upstream component and the external actor.).
How can I check RubyGems dependencies for CVE-2025-61780?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for rack'. 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-r657-rxjc-j557",
  "modified" : "2025-10-13T15:45:09Z",
  "published" : "2025-10-10T17:31:31Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2025-61780" ],
  "summary" : "Rack has a Possible Information Disclosure Vulnerability",
  "details" : "## Summary\n\nA possible information disclosure vulnerability existed in `Rack::Sendfile` when running behind a proxy that supports `x-sendfile` headers (such as Nginx). Specially crafted headers could cause `Rack::Sendfile` to miscommunicate with the proxy and trigger unintended internal requests, potentially bypassing proxy-level access restrictions.\n\n## Details\n\nWhen `Rack::Sendfile` received untrusted `x-sendfile-type` or `x-accel-mapping` headers from a client, it would interpret them as proxy configuration directives. This could cause the middleware to send a \"redirect\" response to the proxy, prompting it to reissue a new internal request that was **not subject to the proxy's access controls**.\n\nAn attacker could exploit this by:\n1. Setting a crafted `x-sendfile-type: x-accel-redirect` header.\n2. Setting a crafted `x-accel-mapping` header.\n3. Requesting a path that qualifies for proxy-based acceleration.\n\n## Impact\n\nAttackers could bypass proxy-enforced restrictions and access internal endpoints intended to be protected (such as administrative pages). The vulnerability did not allow arbitrary file reads but could expose sensitive application routes.\n\nThis issue only affected systems meeting all of the following conditions:\n\n* The application used `Rack::Sendfile` with a proxy that supports `x-accel-redirect` (e.g., Nginx).\n* The proxy did **not** always set or remove the `x-sendfile-type` and `x-accel-mapping` headers.\n* The application exposed an endpoint that returned a body responding to `.to_path`.\n\n## Mitigation\n\n* Upgrade to a fixed version of Rack which requires explicit configuration to enable `x-accel-redirect`:\n\n  ```ruby\n  use Rack::Sendfile, \"x-accel-redirect\"\n  ```\n\n* Alternatively, configure the proxy to always set or strip the headers (you should be doing this!):\n\n  ```nginx\n  proxy_set_header x-sendfile-type x-accel-redirect;\n  proxy_set_header x-accel-mapping /var/www/=/files/;\n  ```\n\n* Or in Rails applications, disable sendfile completely:\n\n  ```ruby\n  config.action_dispatch.x_sendfile_header = nil\n  ```",
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}