Summary
RubyGems Regular Expression Denial of Service
Algorithmic complexity vulnerability in Gem::Version::ANCHORED_VERSION_PATTERN in lib/rubygems/version.rb in RubyGems before 1.8.23.2, 1.8.24 through 1.8.26, 2.0.x before 2.0.10, and 2.1.x before 2.1.5, as used in Ruby 1.9.0 through 2.0.0p247, allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (CPU consumption) via a crafted gem version that triggers a large amount of backtracking in a regular expression. NOTE: this issue is due to an incomplete fix for CVE-2013-4287.
Impact
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
Already deployed Kodem?
See it in your environmentNew to Kodem? Get a demo →Remediation advice
rubygems-update to 1.8.23.2 or later; rubygems-update to 1.8.27 or later; rubygems-update to 2.0.10 or later; rubygems-update to 2.1.5 or later
Kodem Kai can prioritize this vulnerability in your dependency tree and generate a fix recommendation.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2013-4363? CVE-2013-4363 is a medium-severity security vulnerability in rubygems-update (rubygems), affecting versions < 1.8.23.2. It is fixed in 1.8.23.2, 1.8.27, 2.0.10, 2.1.5.
- Which versions of rubygems-update are affected by CVE-2013-4363? rubygems-update (rubygems) versions < 1.8.23.2 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2013-4363? Yes. CVE-2013-4363 is fixed in 1.8.23.2, 1.8.27, 2.0.10, 2.1.5. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2013-4363 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2013-4363 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
- What actually determines whether CVE-2013-4363 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
- How do I fix CVE-2013-4363?
- Upgrade
rubygems-updateto 1.8.23.2 or later - Upgrade
rubygems-updateto 1.8.27 or later - Upgrade
rubygems-updateto 2.0.10 or later - Upgrade
rubygems-updateto 2.1.5 or later
- Upgrade