#VU52000 XML External Entity injection in Ruby and REXML


Published: 2021-04-08 | Updated: 2021-04-22

Vulnerability identifier: #VU52000

Vulnerability risk: Medium

CVSSv3.1: 4.6 [CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N/E:U/RL:O/RC:C]

CVE-ID: CVE-2021-28965

CWE-ID: CWE-611

Exploitation vector: Network

Exploit availability: No

Vulnerable software:
Ruby
Universal components / Libraries / Scripting languages
REXML
Web applications / Modules and components for CMS

Vendor: Ruby
rubygems.org

Description

The vulnerability allows a remote attacker to gain access to sensitive information.

The vulnerability exists due to insufficient validation of user-supplied XML input. A remote attacker can pass a specially crafted XML code to the affected application and view contents of arbitrary files on the system or initiate requests to external systems.

Successful exploitation of the vulnerability may allow an attacker to view contents of arbitrary file on the server or perform network scanning of internal and external infrastructure.

Mitigation
Install updates from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

Ruby: 2.5.0 - 3.0.1

REXML: 3.1.8 - 3.2.4


External links
http://www.ruby-lang.org/en/news/2021/04/05/xml-round-trip-vulnerability-in-rexml-cve-2021-28965/


Q & A

Can this vulnerability be exploited remotely?

Yes. This vulnerability can be exploited by a remote non-authenticated attacker via the Internet.

Is there known malware, which exploits this vulnerability?

No. We are not aware of malware exploiting this vulnerability.


Latest bulletins with this vulnerability