XML injection in Ruby on Rails - CVE-2015-3227
Published: September 29, 2025
Vulnerability identifier: #VU116169
CSH Severity: Medium
CVSS v4: 6.9 [CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N]
CVE-ID: CVE-2015-3227
CWE-ID: CWE-91
Exploitation vector: Remote access
Exploit availability:
No public exploit available
Vulnerability details
The vulnerability allows a remote attacker to cause a denial of service (SystemStackError).
The vulnerability exists due to improper input validation when processing XML data in (1) jdom.rb and (2) rexml.rb components in Active Support in Ruby on Rails. A remote unauthenticated attacker can pass specially crafted XML data to the application and cause a denial of service (SystemStackError).
Affected software
Ruby on Rails
How to mitigate CVE-2015-3227
Install updates from vendor's website.
Ruby on Rails - addressed in versions 4.1.11, 4.2.2
External References
- http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-updates/2015-07/msg00050.html
- http://openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2015/06/16/16
- http://www.debian.org/security/2016/dsa-3464
- http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/75234
- http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1033755
- https://groups.google.com/forum/message/raw?msg=rubyonrails-security/bahr2JLnxvk/x4EocXnHPp8J